Should bat conservation issues alone dictate forest management policy?

摘要

Bats are an important, but poorly understood, component of forest ecosystems in central hardwood forests. Bat conservation issues recently have come to the fore in determining management direction for these forests. The occurrence of threatened andendangered bat species in central hardwood forest ecosystems has prompted concern by state and federal resource management agencies regarding the potential impacts of forest management practices on these species. This concern has led to specific consideration of bat habitat needs in long-term forest management plans. The inclusion of bat habitat requirements in management plans also has been stimulated by legal challenges by special interest groups. Most of the legal battles to date have involved the national forest system, but a private timber company recently was taken to court and state agencies are likely to face challenges in the future. In order to develop effective management plans, managers must have knowledge of bat population parameters, lifehistory and ecology, and habitat requirements throughout the annual cycle. They also must have the ability to monitor bat occurrence, distribution and species composition at multiple land-scape scales. At present, biological, population and habitat dataare incomplete for most bat species and the technology and techniques for assessing bat occurrence and distribution within forest ecosystems need further development. As a result, bat management plans that currently are in place or being developed should be regarded as "works in progress" that will be refined and improved as our knowledge base grows.