Bats and Lighting
Lighting can have a harmful effect on bats impacting on their use of a roost and also their commuting routes and foraging areas. Light falling on a roost access point is likely to delay bats from emerging and thereby shorten the amount of foraging time available to them, which is especially damaging around emergence time as that is when there is a peak in the number of insects. In the worst case scenario, it can cause the bats to desert the roost.
Bats and their roosts are all protected by law and bats should always be taken into account when lighting is being considered.
Guidance for Bat Workers and Lighting Engineers
BCT has been working with the Institution of Lighting Engineers (ILE) to produce 'Bats and Lighting in the UK', an online document suitable for both bat workers and lighting engineers. It is now available as Version 2 and it is expected to undergo further updates as knowledge from ongoing bat research and changes in lighting technology develop.
What else are we doing?
BCT is working with other wildlife groups affected by artificial lighting to establish if the mitigation suggested in the bats and lighting document is suitable for their concerns too or if it could be made suitable with some additional text. This collaborative approach is proving most helpful as it helps to raise awareness to a greater audience. - At the end of 2007 the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) made it known that they are undertaking a short study on artificial light and the environment. BCT has been fully involved in the consultation process and from the suite of possible areas on which the study could have concentrated, the decision has been made to focus this study on the effects on health and wildlife. BCTs initial submissions will be available to view on these webpages shortly.
Other useful websites
Lighting
Institution of Lighting Engineers
Wildlife organisations
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Research
Related downloads
A basic introduction to the legal protection of bats in the British Isles. Please note: This leaflet is in the process of being updated to reflect the 2007 amendments to the legislation.
Basic advice for developers, planning officers and others who come across bat issues in the context of the English planning system.