Minerals Industry

The Mineral Products Association (MPA) is the trade organisation for the mineral extraction industry. The MPA’s aim to improve previously quarried areas for biodiversity and also for people, opening up new, improved green spaces across the UK. The best examples of this are celebrated at the MPA Restoration and Biodiversity Awards. See more information about this here.

Habitat restoration in ex-quarry sites can include the consideration of the habitats that will develop and the way they may support bats (such as wetland areas and trees); also the importance of connectivity to allow bats (and other biodiversity) to move across from the surrounding landscape and around the site. Measures to provide invertebrate habitat will provide food for bat species. Where there is a lack of roosting habitat for bats, special free-standing bat boxes can be installed close to unlit corridors; e.g. hedgerows, tree lines or woodland. Please get in touch with us if you are interested in our pilots of ‘rocket boxes’.

Whether or not you currently work with BCT please do contact us if you have examples of good practice when working with bats that you wish to share. We would be delighted to consider these for inclusion in a news section of our website or for our award winning Bat News magazine.

Perhaps you would like to offer to speak or run a workshop at our National Bat Conference. Attendance is in the region of 350 delegates and in the past few years the lighting industry, roofing contractors and bridge engineers have all been represented.

If you need any further information, please email Jo Ferguson, BCT's Built Environment Manager, on JFerguson@bats.org.uk

Minerals Industry

A stand-alone ‘rocket box’ for roosting bats where there is a lack of suitable features (buildings or trees) to incorporate bat roosting habitat into, such as at quarry sites. - A stand-alone ‘rocket box’ for roosting bats where there is a lack of suitable features (buildings or trees) to incorporate bat roosting habitat into, such as at quarry sites: www.habibat.co.uk

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