In historic buildings it is primarily the attic spaces which are occupied by bats. These nursery roosts place complex demands on their quarters which large roof spaces meet ideally: they are dark, roomy, and free of drafts. The wooden beams and roof battens also  provide bats with hanging places. Settlement by bats  is accompanied, particularly in large colonies, by substantial pollution of the structure through accumulated dung and urine. Under Germany’s Federal Act for the Protection of Nature (BNatSchG) bats are a protected species. They may neither be driven away nor killed. In order to deal with this problem, the Bat Foundation  (»Stiftung Fledermaus«), along with a number of cooperating partners, created guidelines in this DBUsupported project. As a basis for the guidebook, an interdisciplinary research group of bat experts and  monument conservators from various fields systematically researched numerous historical buildings in the central German region, which are or were occupied by bats. The guidebook provides concrete instructions for both protection of building materials and that of the bats themselves, and also regarding the necessary work safety measures.

Project implementation:
Stiftung Fledermaus, Erfurt, Thüringen
daniela.fleischmann@stiftung-fledermaus.de
www.stiftung-fledermaus.de

Cooperation partner:
•    IDK – Institut für Diagnostik und Konservierung an Denkmalen in Sachsen und Sachsen-Anhalt e. V., Halle/Saale, Sachsen-Anhalt,
•    Koordinationsstelle für Fledermausschutz in Thüringen, Weinbergen, Thüringen,
•    Büro NACHTaktiv – Biologen für Fledermauskunde GbR, Walldorf/Werra, Thüringen,
•    Bauforschung – Denkmalpflege, Dr. Insa Christiane Hennen, Wittenberg, Sachsen-Anhalt, hennen.hennen@t-online.de
•    Ingenieurbüro Holger Niewisch, Berlin, holger-niewisch@versanet.de
•    Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie, Halle/Saale, Sachsen-Anhalt
 

AZ 31386