They’re neither Batman nor vampires, but they don’t have good press either. Bats spread disease and have a reputation for being the type of neighbor best left undisturbed. However, in the Galician mountains they can be more of an ally than a threat: they devour insects, including those that destroy crops and spread disease. With that starting point, a suggestion from Vigo, Arcia
project. In 2026, Arcea conducted a pilot project to lay the foundation for bat conservation strategies in forests subject to forest exploitation. It is funded by Ence’s Corporate Social Responsibility program, specifically from its VI Call 2025. According to La Voz de Galicia, the idea is to create shelters, travel corridors, drinking fountains and feeding areas.
Bug with a descendant. Bats make up about a fifth of all mammals on the planet and are the only ones capable of active flight. A study published in Nature, with 103 species and fossil genomes, places its origin in Europe in the late Paleocene with a 99.2% probability. That is, they have been on the continent much longer than any tree.
the problem The forest is the key for these animals: they serve as a corridor to move around, a pantry and a bedroom, thanks to the holes in the trees. But a good part of the trees around us are not natural forests, but plantations. And a crop is harvested in cycles of 20 to 40 years, long before the forest reaches the maturity that forest bats need to survive. Added to this are silvicultural practices that allow for the formation of barely sheltered areas and that standardize the landscape.
The result, according to Arcia, is that only the generalist species remain, the least demanding. Less diversity and less sampling, which means less control of pests that cover all types of crops, including forest crops. That is, the plant loses.
Who lives there? The project targets species associated with forest formations, which sleep in tree holes and which only use them for food. Galicia has at least 11 and is the most heavily protected in all of Europe.
Some, in fact, are closer than they seem. Biologist Francisco Arcos explained that the city of Vigo has at least three fully adapted to urban life: the common bat, the garden bat and the gray long-eared bat. They sleep under tiles or on false ceilings and come out at night in streets, parks and wooded areas in search of insects. In the surrounding mountains, small and large horseshoe crabs, Iberian or Alcatho can be seen, as long as there is habitat and shelter.
Counting them is a hassle. Saving an animal is complicated if you don’t know how many there are, and Arkos admits that “it’s very difficult to know how many there are.” Many species are not grouped in caves as in the classic image of colonies hanging from the ceiling, but are distributed among trees and buildings, complicating any enumeration.
How will it be done? good with foot The plan has two legs and the first is documentary: collect the ecological requirements of each species based on the scientific literature in a report and define both general and specific conservation actions. From there will come some easy-to-apply criteria for technical teams to choose which measurements will fit each mountain.
The second is in the field and has been launched in the municipalities of Ponte Caldelas and Cercedo-Cotobede. There, a catalog of the species present is prepared, their activity is measured through acoustic records and the most valuable habitat elements are mapped. How the vegetation cover of the hills has changed over the past 25 years is also analysed.
Convince the person in charge. The project consists of an awareness campaign aimed at the general public and, above all, at the forest communities of the Pontevedra area, who decide what will be done with them. There will be an informational talk, a brochure and an interpretive panel.
For now, the idea is to measure how some measures that help bats can be incorporated into forest management without breaking the bottom line. It is financed by a large company in the pulp sector of Galicia which helps the proposal to be taken seriously in the mountains, although it does not guarantee that it will be implemented. If the answer is yes, bats will achieve something unusual: going from creepy bug to nighttime pest control worker (without pay and asking for vacation, of course).
Cover image Fabian Kessler
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