07 agosto 2014
EXPEDITIONS TO MONITOR BATS IN ALBANIA
July 14, 2014
Following the workshop on bat monitoring techniques at the University of Tirana, PPNEA organized several expeditions for more than two weeks to explore bat habitats and identify chiroptera species in Albania. The field trips stretched from Shengjin to Thethi, from Valbona to Krume and from Kukes to Pogradec. About 15 persons, experts, students, nature lovers and bat enthusiasts took part to this important expeditions to extend the knowledge on bats in Albania.
During the expeditions an assessment of caves has been done in the visited areas and in total 33 caves have been explored and many old bunkers have been visited to asses the presence of bat species living in them. Following the visits a proposal for an updated natural monuments will be handed over to the Ministry of Environment.
In relation to bat identification several techniques have been utilized like mist-nets, bat detector, guano and bone remaining. The team identified at least 17 species, for the 32 species actually recorded in Albania. In addition of this high number of species, the results represent also an important step forward for the knowledge on bat species repartition in Albania and for the first time data on bats have been collected in the protected areas of Pogradec and Korabi-Koritnik, as in the Has and the Shengjin area.
The bat monitoring initiative have been supported by EuroBats and financially assisted by GIZ funded project CABRA. http://www.ppnea.org/blog.php?entry_id=1405333349&title=expeditions-to-monitor-bats-in-albania