Using BCT data to monitor biodiversity

BCT has been monitoring UK bat populations for more than 10 years under its National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP), with the help of more than 3,500 dedicated volunteers.

These long term population trends have been used to inform conservation work and provide a picture of the state of the UK's bats but they are now also being used to provide an indication of the state of our environment as a whole. They complement existing environmental indicators, such as birds and butterflies in that they are nocturnal, and so are more relevant to less documented environmental changes such as light pollution.