LAYMAN’S REPORT THE GREATER HORSESHOE BAT IN UPPER PALATINATE Optimization of Habitats and Public Awareness LIFE11 NAT/DE/000346 Contents The EU’s LIFE Programme 4 The Bavarian Society for the Protection of Birds, LBV (Landesbund für Vogelschutz in Bayern e.V.) 4 Institute for Federal Real Estate (BImA) 4 Introduction 5 Project area 6 Target species 8 Project objectives and methods 11 Actions in the field to optimize foraging habitats 12 Initiation of a low-intensity cattle grazing regime Shrub removal and clearing of shrub-encroached, former pasture areas Shrub removal and thinning of dense forest stands Creation of flight paths for foraging habitat networking Planting of fruit trees Optimization of roosts 14 Erection of two bat towers Impressum Monitoring 16 Consistent recording of the Greater Horseshoe Bat in summer and winter roosts Recording of prey and vegetation in the project areas Publisher: Landesbund für Vogelschutz in Bayern e. V. (LBV) Analysis of the bats’ fecal pellets Editors: Andreas von Lindeiner, Rudolf Leitl Public relations activities 18 Title photography: Christian Giese, Rudolf Leitl Establishment of an information center in the bat house Layout: B, E & CK, Lisa Beck Designation and signposting of a hiking trail Print: Druckerei Osterchrist Socio-economic aspects 19 Published: October 2018 2 3 LIFE The LIFE+ Programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment. The program is structured in three fields: Environmental Policy and Administrative Practice Nature and Biodiversity Information and Communication LIFE Nature is intended to contribute to the for nature and species conservation and its implementation of the Birds Directive and the promotion in NATURA 2000 areas. The project Habitats Directive, especially in regards to the presented in this report represents the first nature conservation network “NATURA 2000”. LIFE+ project ever with the Greater Horseshoe The program allows to take specific action for Bat as the main target species. Moreover, it is the conservation and restoration of threatened the first LIFE+ project in Germany involving an For further information, please refer to: Hillside of Stettkirchen in the valley Lauterachtal (Leitl) habitats and/or endangered species. Thus, it is active military training area. The US forces have http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/index.htm one of the most important funding instruments kindly given consent to this. Introduction The LBV For further information, please contact: For more than 100 years, the Bavarian Society for gered species and biotopes. Landesbund für Vogelschutz in Bayern e. V. The last colony of the Greater Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus the Protection of Birds (LBV) has been a non-prof- Originally, the LBV worked to promote conser- Eisvogelweg 1, D-91161 Hilpoltstein ferrumequinum) in Germany has survived in the valley it, state-recognized and party-politically neutral vation and protection of birds. Nowadays it also Phone +49 (0) 9174 - 4775 0 Lauterachtal and at Hohenfels Training Area. The bat association and one of the driving forces in works for the protection of the wider environ- Fax +49 (0) 9174 - 4775 75 species has established its maternity (i. e. reproduction) Bavarian nature protection. With approx. 85,000 ment, i. e. the protection of species, habitats and Email [email protected] roost in an old half-timbered barn of a former agricul- members and supporters, the LBV is the largest landscapes. Environmental education and public www.lbv.de tural estate. In order to protect the colony, this estate Bavarian association for the protection of endan- relations activities are further thematic priorities. was bought by governmental and private nature con- servation organizations several years before the project launch and then renovated with funds from the economic stimulus package II to prevent it from collapsing. Actions have been taken within the scope of the LIFE project Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben / that are aimed at increasing the availability of roosts Bundesforstbetrieb Hohenfels and favorable foraging habitats to save the only, isolated Institute for Federal Real Estate Kreuzbergstraße 14, D-92287 Schmidmühlen occurrence of the Greater Horseshoe Bat from extinc- Phone +49 (0) 9474 - 95 17 - 0 The Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben The Federal Forest Service Hohenfels looks tion. These actions are to promote the development of a Fax +49 (0) 9474 - 95 17 30 (BImA) (Institute for Federal Real Estate) is the after approximately 37,000 hectares of forest viable, local population. Email [email protected] real estate service provider of the Federal Ger- and open areas in more than 170 installations man Government with the main office located within the Federal State of Bavaria, including 40 in Bonn. Its main tasks include the standardized installations that are, in whole or in part, located real estate management for the Federal Gov- within Natura 2000 areas. Hohenfels Training ernment, the administration and efficient use Area represents the largest individual area with a Lead partners: Bavarian Association for the Protection of Birds (Landesbund für Vogelschutz of Federal installations as well as forestry and size of approximately 16,000 hectares where the in Bayern e.V.), Institute for Federal Real Estate (Bundesanstalt für nature conservation services. Within the scope of Federal Forest Service has implemented actions Immobilienaufgaben (BImA), Federal Forest Service (Bundesforstbetrieb) Hohenfels these activities, the Federal Forest Service Divi- within the scope of the LIFE project. The Federal Project costs: 1.049.138 € sion with its head office and 17 subsidiary bodies Forest Service’s functions department “Nature Project duration: 01 June 2012 to 31 March 2018 undertakes the forestal cultivation and the na- Conservation” handles all issues in regards to Financing: 50% LIFE Nature, 36.8% Bavarian Nature Conservation Trust, ture conservation care of these installations. nature conservation and conservation legislation 3.3% Hirschwald National Park, 2.7% LBV, 7.1% BImA in this area and is also responsible for the imple- Project area size: 1.836 hectares mentation of the Natura 2000 management. 4 5 Valley Lauterachtal (v. Lindeiner) Boundaries of the project area (hatched in blue) in the three FFH areas Hohenfels Training Area (6736-302), “Lauterachtal” (6636-371) und bat roosts around Hohenburg (6636-301.01, .02, .03) HTA Hohenfels (Schwers) of the FFH area Lauterachtal is geologically agement association) Amberg-Sulzbach e. The project area influenced by the White Jurassic and charac- V. has taken adequate management actions terized by rock formations and dolomite hill- together with a migrating shepherd and tops. Both the plateaus and valley sides are local landscape managers for about 20 years strongly karstified and permeable to water. to preserve the above-mentioned special landscape features of Juniper heathlands Hohenfels Training Area (HTA) belongs to the private individuals is strictly prohibited; this The valley floodplains are largely subject to and calcareous nutrient-poor grasslands. Federal Republic of Germany. Silvicultural prohibition is enforced by the U. S. Army and grassland use. There are also agricultural and nature conservation management is members of the Federal Forest Service. fields in the floodplain areas of the creek The valley Lauterachtal with its small side val- the responsibility of the Federal Institute for About half of the area is a large, continuous, Lauterach, near Mühlhausen, in the entire leys is of extraordinary significance to species Real Estate Tasks, Division of Federal Forest unfragmented habitat complex of nation- community district of Hohenburg and in the and biotope protection because of its small- Service (Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufga- wide significance. It is covered with forests valley Hausener Tal. The fields are in many scale mosaic of land use and its high ecolog- ben, Sparte Bundesforst). The area has been primarily consisting of beech forest commu- cases structured by hedges growing on walls ical value. Although very rare and critically ceded to the U. S. Army for exclusive military nities and pine forests. Moreover, it includes of collected fieldstones. The shaded steep endangered on a statewide scale, the calcare- use as long as needed within the scope of calcareous nutrient-poor grasslands and slopes are located within the training area. ous nutrient-poor grasslands are widespread the NATO Status of Forces Agreement. large dry grassland complexes subject to The existing forests serve in particular for in this valley. low-intensity land use, especially sheep and soil and erosion protection. By contrast, The military training area is for the greater goat grazing. most sun-exposed slopes were still used for In addition, the project area includes several part designated as a Natura 2000 site, but has grazing for extended periods of time. The bat roosts designated as FFH area, including no other national protection status. Access by The landscape structure and appearance Landschaftspflegeverband (landscape man- the bat house at Hohenburg. 6 7 Photographs of Gr. H. Bat: adult, juvenile, sleeping, cluster (Leitl) Rhinolophus ferrumequinum THE TARGET SPECIES GREATER HORSESHOE BAT Protected species in Annexes II and IV of the FFH Directive Greater Horseshoe Bats need an abundant Thus, Germany’s last maternity roost of the availability of insects and are especially sensi- species that was discovered by telemetry