Using spatial modelling to inform a strategic, landscape-level approach to bat conservation

Foxley, Thomas

Abstract

Development is needed to meet housing demands and improve living standards globally. Land use change associated with development can, however, negatively impact many species through processes such as habitat loss and fragmentation. There is growing recognition that integrating landscape-level conservation plans into the planning process can help to alleviate the impact of development on wildlife populations. Using spatial modelling to better understand how species use the landscape can support intelligent, informed planning decisions that avoid negative impacts on biodiversity.

Focusing on the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) in Somerset, UK, I explore how spatial modelling can be used to inform strategic conservation planning for bats at different scales. Chapter two is an acoustic study where I seek to identify the factors driving bat activity in an agricultural landscape around an important maternity roost, and use fine scale predictive modelling to map bat activity over the study area. In chapter three I develop a novel approach for validating a broad scale habitat suitability model and apply model findings to identify landscape-level conservation priorities. Looking back at a fine scale but over a broad extent, in chapter four I develop a novel framework for protecting bats in the planning system, using habitat suitability and landscape connectivity models to produce a number of high resolution mapping outputs that can be used to inform planning decisions.

Existing legal protection for habitat that supports R. ferrumequinum populations made Somerset an ideal study area for this work, although in most cases habitat that supports bats is not legally protected in the UK. There is a strong argument that frameworks protecting all bat species countrywide need to take a broader view that considers both bat populations and the habitat they depend on. This thesis demonstrates the value of spatial modelling as a tool for strategic, landscape-level conservation planning, and lays the groundwork for improving the frameworks that protect bats in the planning system.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Feb 9, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 25, 2024
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11641307
• Award Date: Nov 25, 2024