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DURING THE PEAK OF SUMMER, BATS EAT THEIR BODY WEIGHT IN INSECTS EVERY NIGHT.
in Alberta, you can do the math on just how much they eat. Olson says they could be playing a massive role in regulating bug populations.
“The best estimate we have is that bats are providing billions of dollars’ worth of free insect control for the North American economy,” says Olson. “We know that bats are among the top predators of a lot of disease-bearing insects and may help regulate their numbers. So, the risk of losing bats is far greater than the risk of having bats.”
While white-nose syndrome is still a concern, humans must remain sensitive
to the other risks they pose for bats. A concerning development for many bat biologists is the uptick in deaths related to wind turbines for migratory bats like the hoary bat, eastern red bat and silver-haired bats.
“The evidence right now is, there’s a good chance that they will not survive the current projections for the growth in wind energy across North America,” Olson says.
Photo Jason Headley
The good news is that there
are already proven ways to begin mitigating these bat deaths and it won’t cost much to wind farm yields, Olson says. Turbine operators just need access to the right information and follow
the right practices to manage their ecological impacts.
Whether it’s wind farmers or corn farmers, Olson hopes that the work the ACBP does will equip the community with the information and tools they need so that bats will have a safe and healthy home in Alberta for many decades to come.
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