Apr 03 - BatLife Europe Welcomes GONHS As A New Partner
BatLife Europe is an international non-governmental conservation organisation built from a partnership of national bat conservation organisations that are committed to promoting the conservation of all bat species and their habitats throughout Europe.
The idea of BatLife Europe was first proposed by the IUCN Chiroptera Specialist Group at the European Bat Research Symposium in Le Havre in 2002.
Then, at the 11th meeting of the EUROBATS Advisory Committee in Luxembourg in 2006, it was agreed that the work of the many European NGOs committed to bat conservation would be enhanced by trans-boundary communication and coordination.
The UK’s Bat Conservation Trust was invited to establish BatLife Europe and accepted.
BatLife Europe has a membership of partner conservation organisations, each representing and working in partnership with BatLife Europe in its own territory.
GONHS has been active in bat conservation in Gibraltar for many years, advocating the protection of bats and their roosts, raising public awareness about bats and identifying Gibraltar’s bat species and populations. For the past six years it had participated in European (and, later, International) Bat Night hosted by Eurobats.
Last year it joined forces with the Gibraltar Museum Caving Unit and several UK-based bat experts and the Department of the Environment to form the Gib-Bats Project. Albert Yome, who leads GONHS’ participation in the project said, “We are delighted to have been accepted as a Partner of BatLife Europe. This will help us collaborate with other European bat conservation organisations and help us both understand our bat populations in a wider context and help us to promote their conservation and study in Gibraltar itself.
GONHS is very grateful to its friends in the GCMU, led by Stewart Finlayson, our UK colleagues James Shipman, Denise Foster and Iain Hysom and the assistance provided by Stephen Warr of the Department of the Environment.”
Speaking on behalf of BatLife Europe, its Chair, Julia Hanmer added, “We are delighted to welcome the Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society as the 34th partner member of BatLife Europe. Having such a broad partnership of NGOs representing bats from Ireland to Ukraine, and Finland to Gibraltar means we can speak up strongly for the needs of bats and influence the many people, from politicians and land managers, to planners and the public, to encourage them to take action to make a difference for bat conservation”.
