Understanding global policy in the context of bat conservation
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The Global Union of Bat Diversity Networks (GBatNet) is the network of bat networks (and affiliated organisations) that are involved in exploring complementary aspects of bats to facilitate and enhance research addressing bat diversification and sustainability.
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There are a number of working groups within GBatNet, including one focusing on prioritising bats and key bat habitats. We are a subgroup working under this umbrella working group. We are a group of GBatNet researchers collectively representing Europe, Africa, Central and South America, Asia, and Oceania. Policy and legislation, whether it be at the national, state, regional, or local level has huge implications for bat conservation globally. Our focus is to collate people's knowledge of policy in their geographic area, in order to understand these global implications, and synthesise this information. Broadly, we intend to assess how GBatNet could potentially assist future policy, and provide recommendations to improve bat conservation.
We want to hear your experiences; where has policy failed bats? Where has policy created positive conservation successes? What is lacking from your regions environmental policies? What do you think is driving these outcomes?
To gather this information we have developed a short survey which should take no longer than fifteen minutes to complete (or longer if you are happy to share more in-depth knowledge). The online questionnaire is available in English, Español, Française, and Português.
In order to increase our global reach, particularly to areas that are generally underrepresented in research, we would greatly appreciate you sharing this survey with your network.
For any questions please contact Rachael via rachael (at) batswithoutborders.org or rachael.cooper-bohannon (at) stir.ac.uk.
We want to hear your experiences; where has policy failed bats? Where has policy created positive conservation successes? What is lacking from your regions environmental policies? What do you think is driving these outcomes?
To gather this information we have developed a short survey which should take no longer than fifteen minutes to complete (or longer if you are happy to share more in-depth knowledge). The online questionnaire is available in English, Español, Française, and Português.
In order to increase our global reach, particularly to areas that are generally underrepresented in research, we would greatly appreciate you sharing this survey with your network.
For any questions please contact Rachael via rachael (at) batswithoutborders.org or rachael.cooper-bohannon (at) stir.ac.uk.
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Take part!
The online questionnaire is available in the following four languages:
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Coming soon...
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DEADLINE: please submit responses by 30 November 2025.
Meet the team
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Oli is a PhD Researcher at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and a Visiting Fellow at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia. His passion for bats began in New Zealand—where bats are the only native terrestrial mammals—during his undergraduate studies at the University of Otago. He developed his bat research skills and bioacoustic expertise during his MSc project in the pristine rainforests of Brunei Darussalam, Borneo. Oli’s first hands-on experience in Australia came as a volunteer with the Australasian Bat Society’s 'Cape York Bat Blitz', where he spent several weeks trapping bats with a larger research team. That trip confirmed his desire to work in Australia, leading him to take a position with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Oli is now in the final year of his PhD, investigating whether bats benefit from fenced conservation reserves.
Connect: E-mail | LinkedIn |
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Rohit is a bat researcher with experience of working in different landscapes in India, predominantly the Himalayas and Andaman Islands. He currently works with Nature Conservation Foundation and Bat Conservation International leading bat conservation projects in India. Some of the projects that the team have initiated include understanding the effects of urbanisation and wind energy on bats, exploring conflict between bats and archaeological site managers, and improving the knowledge on the ecology of rare, endangered bat species.
Additionally, Rohit and the team are preparing a conservation plan for Indian bats - the first such effort since 2002! Connect: E-mail | Instagram |
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Rachael is a South African conservation scientist and the CEO of Bats without Borders (BwB) - an NGO dedicated to bat conservation across southern Africa. She completed her PhD at the University of Stirling (Scotland) focusing on bat conservation prioritisation of southern African bats and has a soft spot for cave-dwelling bats.
Rachael is a member of the IUCN Bat Specialist Group and a Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Stirling. Connect: E-mail | LinkedIn | Bluesky |
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Hernani is inherently curious about how the natural world works and understanding the impact of human activities on biodiversity worldwide. He has conducted fieldwork and research throughout the tropics, but most of his current work is focused in the Neotropics.
Connect: E-mail | LinkedIn | Instagram |
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Santiago is a conservation biologist with a strong interest in understanding the factors that shape the distribution and abundance of animal populations and their interactions with landscapes. His current work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison integrates bioacoustics and camera trap data with different modeling techniques and AI to study biodiversity in tropical forests.
Connect: E-mail | LinkedIn |
