Migrating bats to benefit from reinforced tracking system

The new antenna station in the Wenduine water tower, near the popular tourist destination of Ostend on the Flemish North Sea coast, is gathering data to better understand and protect bat migration routes as part of the wider wildlife tracking network known as Motus.

Not everyone knows that certain bat species migrate over long distances, following the coast of the North Sea and even reaching the British Isles. Researchers from the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), in collaboration with the municipality of De Haan and Bionet Natuuronderzoek, installed the new antenna station on the Wenduine water tower to strengthen the European antenna network. The station picks up radio signals from small encoded transmitters on the bats, using a technique known as radio telemetry; each time a tagged bat passes the station, the antennae receive a signal, allowing researchers to monitor the creature’s location. The transmitters are very light (just 5% of total body weight) and can also be used to track songbirds and larger insects.

The station’s antennae are located high on the water tower to increase the reception range up to several kilometres. It is one of three stations along the Belgian coast, and is part of a wider international wildlife tracking network called Motus, coordinated in Canada. Research into migrating bats along the North Sea coast is part of the LifeWatch Belgium Marine Observatory, developed by VLIZ, and is designed to deepen the understanding of bats’ migration patterns and numbers along the North Sea coast through long-term data series acquired by means of these fixed measuring stations. Bats are important for the ecosystem and it is hoped that the data collected will contribute towards improving their conservation.

For more information on the technology involved, please follow this link.

Image credit: VLIZ (Benito Dewaegemaeker)

Bulgaria

The Bulgarian National Distributed Centre is represented by the  Agricultural University-Plovdiv.

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Spain

The Spanish National Distributed Centre is supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Regional Government of Andalusia and the Guadalquivir River Basin Authority (Ministry for Ecological Transition-MITECO). Moreover, Spain is the hosting Member State of LifeWatch ERIC, the location of its Statutory Seat & ICT e-Infrastructure Technical Office (LifeWatch ERIC Common Facilities). 

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Slovenia

The Slovenian National Distributed Centre is led by the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU). It focuses on the development of technological solutions in the field of biodiversity and socio-ecosystem research.

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Portugal

The Portuguese National Distributed Centre is managed by PORBIOTA, the Portuguese e-Infrastructure for Information and Research on Biodiversity. Led by BIOPOLIS/CIBIO-InBIO – Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, PORBIOTA connects the principal Portuguese research institutions working in biodiversity.

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Netherlands

The Dutch National Distributed Centre is hosted by the Faculty of Science of the University of Amsterdam. Moreover, The Netherlands hosts one of the LifeWatch ERIC Common Facilities, the Virtual Laboratory and Innovation Centre.

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Italy

The Italian National Distributed Centre is led and managed by the Italian National Research Council (CNR) and is coordinated by a Joint Research Unit, currently comprising 35 members. Moreover, Italy hosts one of the LifeWatch ERIC Common Facilities, the Service Centre.

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Greece

The Greek National Distributed Centre is funded by the Greek General Secretariat of Research and Technology and is coordinated by the Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, in conjunction with 47 associated partner institutions.

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Belgium

The Belgian National Distributed Centre makes varied and complementary in-kind contributions to LifeWatch ERIC. These are implemented in the form of long-lasting projects by various research centres and universities distributed throughout the country and supported by each respective political authority.

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