Habitat features act as unidirectional and dynamic filters to bat use of production landscapes

Published source details Burgar J.M., Stokes V.L. & Craig M.D. (2017) Habitat features act as unidirectional and dynamic filters to bat use of production landscapes. Biological Conservation, 209, 280-288.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Restore or create forest or woodland Action Link

Restore or create forest or woodland

A replicated, controlled, site comparison study in 2010–2012 of 64 restored forest sites in southwestern Australia (Burgar et al 2017) found that restored forests had higher or similar bat activity as natural forests for five of seven bat species, and activity varied with the age of restored forest. Four bat species had similar or higher activity in young restored forest (<5 years old; average 0.3–8.3 bat passes/night) and natural unmined forest (average 0.3–15.5 bat passes/night), but lower activity in older restored forest (>10 years old; average 0.1–6.3 bat passes/night). One bat species had similar activity in older restored forest (>15 years old; average 0.6–1.1 bat passes/night) and unmined forest (average 0.9–2.5 bat passes/night), but lower activity in young restored forest (<5 years old; average 0.2–0.3 bat passes/night). Two bat species had consistently lower bat activity in all ages of restored forest (0.2–51 bat passes/night) than in unmined forest (3–68 bat passes/night). See original paper for more detailed results. All 64 sites were northern jarrah Eucalyptus marginata forest fragments. Restored sites had previously been cleared and mined. Surveys were carried out at 8–16 sites in restored forest of four different ages (0–4, 5–9, 9–14 and >15 years since restoration) and in eight natural unmined forest sites. All restored sites were >4 ha in size with at least one edge bordered by unmined forest. A bat detector was deployed for four full nights at each of 64 sites between October and March in 2010/2011 and 2011/2012.

(Summarised by: Anna Berthinussen)