Bat Friendly Communities
Why bat friendly communities?
Many bats live in close association with human communities, and a few species, such as Little Brown Myotis, rely extensively on human made structures as sites for roosting and raising offspring. Stewardship and management of individual bats and bat colonies and their roost sites is important for the future of bats in the province.
Bats need three basic things to survive: food, shelter and water. Well managed habitats in urban, rural and wild areas can provide these key elements. Maintaining the diversity of features found in natural environments is important for ensuring the success of our bats. Providing bat houses and buildings suitable for bats is unlikely to be sufficient if our ecosystems no longer support the insect communities that they rely upon for food.
The Bat Friendly Communities Program can help individuals, communities, and organizations that are interested in maintaining and enhancing bat habitat. You can learn more in our Bat-friendly Communities Guidance Document.
Bat friendly communities in BC (years certified)
- Dawson Creek (since 2016/17)
- Peachland (since 2019)
- Richmond (since 2020)
- Delta (since 2021)
Becoming bat friendly
Key components to become certified are:
1. Protect and create habitat
2. Provide information about bats
3. Promote learning
More details on certification can be found in this list of criteria for certification, and ideas on how to proceed are in the Primer on Becoming a Bat-friendly Community. Contact your regional bat program coordinator or info@bcbats.ca for more information and guidance. We look forwards to working with you!