NBMP - Monitoring Bats

National Bat Monitoring Programme 

Through the hard work and dedication of our volunteer network, BCT runs a number of national, annual surveys to monitor the status of many of our bat species across a range of habitats. Our surveys form the National Bat Monitoring Programme through which we track changes in bat populations.  Monitoring bats is essential as over the last 60 years it would seem that many of our bat species have declined dramatically.

Since 1996 more than 3,500 volunteers have taken part in our surveys at over 6,800 roost or field sites around the UK. The data collected have already indicated population changes in some species but surveying needs to continue for many more years in order to ascertain whether these are long-term trends or simply short-term fluctuations.

Anyone can take part in our surveys. We run surveys aimed at beginners as well as experts. Without the valuable information collected by volunteers we would be unable to track how the UK's bat species are faring. National Bat Monitoring Programme volunteers are given access to our online bat sound library.

For instruction in how to use a bat detector and carry out our Field Survey and Waterway Survey, visit our online tutorials or attend an NBMP training session.

See our results and reports to find out how are bat populations are faring. 

The National Bat Monitoring Programme is a partnership between the Bat Conservation Trust, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Defra and the Countryside Council for Wales and is part of the Tracking Mammals Partnership. Additional funding is provided by Natural England. Bat Conservation Ireland contributes Northern Ireland bat records collated by the Irish Bat Monitoring Programme which is funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). Data are shared on the NBN Gateway.