The publication of these UK Bat Mitigation Guidelines is the culmination of well over a thousand hours of voluntary effort from the authors and from bat experts across the UK in order to bring together the most up-to-date research and case study evidence to inform professional practice.
By taking an evidence-based approach, we can deliver better outcomes for bats and for developers. But of course, this publication represents the evidence available at a moment in time, and we need your help as practitioners to ensure that future editions also reflect the breadth of information collected between now and then.
Throughout this document, the authors have highlighted evidence gaps that exist and made suggestions for areas for further research. As practitioners, you can help us to develop the evidence base for future editions by monitoring and recording the outcomes of projects you have been involved in and sharing your successes and failures. You can submit your case study examples of project design, novel approaches and outcomes using this form.
The intention is to update these Guidelines every 5-7 years unless there are major changes to the legal protections for bats or other relevant legislative and policy contexts. Minor amendments and corrections will be made from time to time and will be shown on the Amendments and Corrections table on page 11 of the Guidelines. If you have spotted a correction or amendment that needs to be made, please contact us by submitting this form.
Similarly, if you come across research papers, reports, articles or references that highlight new evidence regarding effective bat mitigation techniques, please bring these to our attention using this form.
Click here to access the Bat Mitigation Guidelines 2023