By Claire Boothby, Lisa Worledge, Katherine L. Boughey, Steve D. Langton, and Lia R. V. Gilmour
© Bats in Churches Project
Churches are important places for worship and community, and many older churches have irreplaceable historic interiors and artefacts. However, these buildings are important for bats too, which can bring these nocturnal flying mammals into conflict with people.
Our study looked at why bats live in churches and the impact of bats that church communities perceive. The 297 volunteers in our study visited 350 churches across England. We found that more than half of those surveyed housed bat roosts. For older churches (originally built before 1540 CE) over 75% housed bat roosts. Most churches also housed multiple species, with some home to more than seven different bat species. When asked via a questionnaire, whether people looking after the churches were aware of their resident bats and how they felt about it, their opinion seemed to be more positive when bats were present, but the greater the number of bats and their droppings or when damage or disruption by bats was thought to be a problem, the more negative people felt. Surprisingly people also had more negative attitudes towards bats when none were present in their church.
Several factors influenced whether bats were likely to roost in a church, including the landscape surrounding a church and whether it had external lighting. Churches with more arable land, that is, those found in agricultural landscapes, were more likely to house bats, probably due to less natural roosting opportunities. We also found that churches that lit up the western side of their buildings were less likely to house bat roosts, further evidence for the detrimental effects of lighting on bats.
Given the importance of churches to people and bats, it is vital that these places of worship are protected and the people in them are adequately supported to care for their bats.
Relational Thinking 