The UK Government became a signatory to the United Nation’s Convention of Biological Diversity in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. This commitment to halt the loss of biodiversity was put into practice with the launch of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) in 1994 listing a number of key priority habitats and species considered to require targeted conservation action.
Since then, many plans and strategies have come and gone and we now have different environmental plans across the different nations of the UK. The lists of priority species and habitats remain, and these have been an important and valuable reference source to help draw up country specific lists.
UK Bat Priority Species are:
- soprano pipistrelle
- common pipistrelle (Wales only)
- lesser horseshoe bat
- greater horseshoe bat
- barbastelle
- Bechstein's bat
- noctule
- brown long-eared bat
Our biodiversity work in England is partly funded by Natural England.
