This Earth Day you can have twice the impact

*UPDATE* We are delighted to report that thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our supporters we have already reached out target of £10,000. While any further donations will not be doubled, every contribution will help towards our vision of a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Please do give if you can.

Bats account for more than a quarter of mammal species in the UK and around 20% of all mammal species worldwide. They play an important role in many ecosystems. All 18 UK bat species eat insects as do 70% of the 1400+ bat species across the world. In tropical countries some bat species pollinate plants and others help with reforestation. Earth Day 2022 is on the 22^nd of April and this year’s theme is “Invest in Our Planet”. Every member, donor, funder, supporter, volunteer and project partner who is involved in bat conservation is investing in our planet. Thank you for all you do to help bats.

In the UK we are beginning to see the results of that investment in the promising signs that some bat species are showing the first signs of recovery from significant historical declines. However, it remains the case that four of the 11 mammal species native to Britain classified as being at risk of extinction are bats. Bats continue to face a range of challenges to their conservation which include badly planned developments, light pollution and overuse of pesticides. New threats lie on the horizon such as changes to legislation that protect bats and their habitats.

We rely on your donations to help us to discover more about bats, take action to protect them, educate people about bats and their habitats along with enabling more people to get involved in bat conservation. We know our work makes a difference and it's only possible thanks to everyone who gives towards making it possible. We are delighted to say that we have been selected by the Big Give for this year's Green Match Fund which means every donation we receive up to £5,000 will be doubled. This is a huge opportunity to raise £10,000 to help bat conservation.

Donations must be received via the Big Give website which will go live at midday on Earth Day (22^nd of April 2022) and will remain open for one week until midday on the 29^th of April. Every donation will make a difference.

The BIG GIVE Green Match Fund page is HERE.

“We need to secure the resources and support to continue to learn more about bats so that we can be effective in their conservation. We know our work makes a difference, but it is only possible thanks to our members, donors, funders, supporters, volunteers, and project partners” – Kit Stoner, Chief Executive Officer

“It is difficult to see how we would have made the significant gains to bat conservation in the UK without the Bat Conservation Trust’s National Bat Helpline" — Chris Packham, Bat Conservation Trust’s president

"They are beautiful, fascinating, incredible, musical, mystical little creatures. We need to look after them, keep making them safe and welcome, so that our great grand-children, and beyond, will be able to gaze on them in wonder and treasure their company and what an honour that is" — Kate Rusby, Bat Conservation Trust Ambassador