BatLab Norway

Bats (Chiroptera) make up ca. 20% of the global and Norwegian terrestrial mammal species and constitute the second largest mammalian order in the world. Of the 11 species of bats that are confirmed to occur on the Norwegian mainland, four are categorized as threatened and two as near threatened on the  Norwegian red list for species . This means that more than one-half of the bat species in Norway are redlisted. The bat community in Norway includes both migratory and resident populations of bat species. Like most of the ca. 1400 bat species in the World, all Norwegian bat species are insectivorous.

BatLab Norway is a research group dedicated to investigating the ecology and behavior of bats in Fennoscandia. Our research encompasses the study of species distributions and bat-habitat relationships, as well as dial and seasonal activity patterns and the influence of environmental conditions on bat activity. Several of our projects investigate the impacts of human activity and land use on bats. Previous and ongoing research has focused on studying the impacts of forestry and wind energy development.

Katrine Eldegard is a  professor of conservation science  (Naturforvaltning) at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and the leader and founder of BatLab Norway. Her primary scientific interests are to enhance our understanding of how human land use and activities impact wildlife and ecosystems. Her current research projects include assessing the effects of energy- and transport infrastructure, as well as forestry, on bats and birds. She has extensive experience with applied ecology projects in collaboration with Norwegian management authorities and partners in the private sector. She chaired the  Mammal Committee s for the  Norwegian Red List for Species 2021  and the  Norwegian Alien Species List 2023 . She is a member of the  Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (VKM)  where she is part of the CITES expert panel, which is the  Norwegian CITES scientific authority . She is appointed by the Norwegian Environment Agency as Norway’s representative in the  UNEP/Eurobats  Advisory Committee.

Reed April McKay is a postdoctoral researcher. Her primary focus is bat ecology but her research also incorporates more general ecosystem level ecology and species monitoring for other taxa such as birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects. Communicating science related to various ecology topics is also an important part of her work. Reed began studying bats as a seasonal biologist conducting surveys for endangered bat species in the Eastern U.S. in 2013 and went on to become a U.S. Fish and Wildlife federally permitted bat biologist in 2017. Reed holds a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science from Indiana University (2017) and a Masters in Ecology from NMBU (2020). In 2024 she successfully defended a PhD in Ecology on “ Drivers of bat activity and habitat use in boreal forest ”. She has been an active member in the Norwegian Zoological Society since 2020 and a small mammal species validator for Artsobservasjoner since 2022. Through these experiences, Reed has studied the ecology of bats with a wide range of methods including bioacoustics, mist netting, harp trapping, bat box monitoring, hibernacula surveys, VHF radiotelemetry, the Motus network and DNA metabarcoding.

Mari Aas Fjelldal is a postdoctoral researcher with a dual affiliation between BatLab Norway (NMBU) and BatLab Finland (University of Helsinki), funded by a three-year international mobility grant (project Nordbats) by the Norwegian Research Council (started December 2024). Her research focuses on energetic dilemmas bats face during different seasons in the north and how they can cope with these challenges by optimising decisions, such as their use of hibernation and torpor (short-term hibernation). Mari uses stochastic dynamic programming models to simulate the dynamics of bat populations under various climate change scenarios. This modelling approach enables the exploration of the interactions between ecology, physiology and strategic behaviour of an individual, and how these interactions are affected by changes to the environment. The overall aim of the Norbats project is to identify seasonal bottlenecks that will prevent different Nordic bat species from altering their distribution limits in response to climate change.

Maris Pärn is a PhD fellow at BatLab Norway. Her main research activities are related to the project 'Migratory bat activity in coastal Southwest Norway'. Her research focuses on the migratory movements of bats in southwest Norway as well as evidence based conservation and management in wind energy developments. She is interested in identifying which species exhibit migratory activity; the timing of migration and what migration routes bats follow in southwest Norway. Maris started her journey as a bat researcher years ago in Estonia, where she acquired her BSc and MSc in Biology from the University of Tartu. She has taken part in countless hibernacula surveys in the winter and species detection surveys in the summer. After completing her master's degree, she was employed for years in the public management sector in Estonia, dealing with direct conservation issues and lawmaking. She has worked with EU legislations for rapid renewable energy developments, with special attention to wind energy and environmental impact assessments.

Mara Zebele is a PhD fellow at BatLab Norway. Her main research activities are related to the Noctur project, where she focuses on interactions between bats and wind turbines. Her research examines how abiotic conditions, prey availability, and seasonal migration patterns influence the presence and behavior of bats within wind parks, specifically in Rogaland county. Originally from Italy, Mara earned her MSc in Environmental and Behavioural Biology from the Università di Firenze, with a thesis on wolf rescue practices in Italy. In 2023, she did an internship for six months at the BatLab at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin. During her time in Berlin, she contributed to various research projects, primarily focusing on acoustics and tracking individual spatial movements. Her main scientific interests lie in conservation biology and mitigating human-wildlife conflicts.

Benedikte Øyen is a master's student in ecology and natural resource management (Naturforvaltning) at NMBU, who is evaluating the performance of popular commercial bat acoustic classifiers, when applied to data collected from acoustic monitoring sites in Rogaland in southwest Norway. Her research has a applied focus, aiming to help bat researchers and consultants make informed decisions about acoustic monitoring tools.

Sara Kristoffersson is a master's student in ecology at NMBU, who is studying trends in migratory bat activity using data from multiple acoustic monitoring sites in coastal Rogaland, southwest Norway. Her research explores how activity varies with seasonal patterns and weather conditions, helping to identify key migratory areas and periods while addressing knowledge gaps in the general ecology of bats in Rogaland.

Ylva H. Friberg is a master's student in ecology at NMBU. Her master's thesis project aims to improve our understanding of the temporal and spatial availability of insect prey to bats at wind farms in southwest Norway, both in terms of insect abundance and key prey taxa. She also investigates how these variations may relate to changes in bat activity over time and space.

Sander Anstorp is a master's student in biology at the University of Bergen, who is analyzing nearly 15 years of data from 300 woodcrete bat and bird boxes across southeastern Norway. Co-supervised by Eldegard, Anstorp aims to determine which bat species use the boxes, how occupancy is influenced by box design and time since deployment, as well as whether males and females of the same species differ in occupancy rates.

Tuva Kildahl is a master's student in ecology and natural resource management (Naturforvaltning) at NMBU, who is using the same dataset as Sander to study the relationships and interactions between bats and birds occupying bat and bird boxes.

Judith Feldhaus is a master's student in ecology at NMBU, who will study bat community composition and activity at freshwater lakes in Rogaland using acoustic monitoring data. Her research will focus on resident bat species, examining their occurrence and activity in relation to environmental conditions and landscape configuration.

•  Berg , Emma Helen (2024) Long-Term Effects of Clear-Cutting on the Threatened Bat Species Eptesicus nilssonii
• Roda, Giulia (2024) Beavers-Bats-Biodiversity: Changes in bat abundance and richness and the influence of beaver created water bodies in the Bavarian Forest National Park. University of Freiburg, Germany (Eldegard was co-supervisor)
•  Thomle , Mathilde Klokkersveen (2023) Non-Invasive Monitoring of Insectivorous Bats and Insects in Boreal Forest Habitats
•  Fairchild , Jenna (2023) Identifying Valuable Habitat Types for Pipistrellus bat species in Norwegian Boreal Forests
•  Sætre , Vilde (2022) Monitoring bat-insect relationships in boreal forest habitats
•  Johns , Sarah Elizabeth (2021) Bats, insects and weather: spatial-temporal trends on a boreal forest wind facility in Norway
•  McKay , (Reed) April I. R. (2020) Habitat and foraging ecology of two cryptic bat species 59° North: Myotis mystacinus and M. brandtii
•  Birkeland , Karoline Manneråk (2019) Neighboring colonies of Brandt’s bat Myotis brandtii and Whiskered bat M. mystacinus changed their roost activity throughout the breeding season
•  Kristiansen , Kristian Flagstad (2018) Hide and seek: a pilot study on day roosts in autumn and hibernacula for Vesper bats in southeast Norway
•  Siljedal , Gunnar Joakim (2018) The hunt for maternity colonies: a pilot study of using radio telemetry to track bats in southeast Norway

In our research projects, we collaborate with colleagues from the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management at NMBU.

Professor Richard Bischof, along with researchers Andrea F. Vallejo Vargas and Pierre Dupont from the Applied Quantitative Ecology Group ( AQEG ), contribute by guiding study design and analyzing ecological data in research on bats and wind power. Professor Hans Ole Ørka, an expert in remote sensing techniques and a member of the  Forest Inventory and Monitoring  Reserach Group, is involved in several projects by quantifying bat habitats. Additionally, we collaborate with experts in insect and forest ecology, in particular Professor Tone Birkemoe and other members of project  EcoForest .

The BatLab Norway team conducts both fundamental and applied research on bats. We are currently engaged in research projects on various topics, including  bats and wind energy ,  migration and long-distance movements ,  bats and forest habitats ,  bats and climate change , as well as monitoring programs (see  National collaboration ).

There is an urgent need to shift to renewable energy generation. But this transition currently poses significant risks to wildlife, and these must be addressed before renewable energy can be considered truly sustainable. Norway is home to nearly 1400 wind turbines that account for approximately 10% of the annual energy production in the country. The Norwegian government aims to increase the wind energy production. Wind energy infrastructure may impact bats directly (mortality from contact with turbines) or indirectly through avoidance of areas with turbines or habitat loss. This creates the potential for long-term, cumulative impacts on bat populations. However, until recently, environmental impact assessments in relation to wind energy development in Norway have not included evaluations of potential impacts on bats. BatLab Norway conducted the first scientific study of impacts of wind turbines on bats in Norway ( McKay et al. 2024 ) and we are currently engaged in three  research projects on bats and wind energy .

Although impacts of wind turbines on bats is understudied in Norway, the knowledge that wind turbines can pose a threat to bats is not new. UNEP/ EUROBATS  published guidelines on how to assess the effects of wind power development and operational wind farms on bats already in 2014 ( Rodrigues et al. 2014 ). All countries that have ratified the EUROBATS agreement, including Norway, are required to develop national guidelines. BatLab Norway has created these guidelines on behalf of the Norwegian Environment Agency, though they have not yet been officially published. Additionally, members of BatLab Norway are part of the working group responsible for drafting European guidelines for bat surveys and monitoring at offshore wind farms.

Our research projects in southwestern Norway were initially launched to investigate the effects of wind energy production bats. However, the data collection and methods we use will also contribute to general knowledge about bat migration and long-distance movements in the North Sea region. We are building capacity to collaborate with researchers in other countries, particularly in Northern Europe, especially through the  Motus wildlife tracking system .

Eldegard was Management Committee Memeber in the COST action  Bats and climate change .

NordBats - Vulnerability of Nordic bat species to climate change

In response to the ongoing global climate change, wildlife species worldwide have altered their distribution ranges, changed their migration patterns, or adjusted their timing of seasonal activities. However, relatively little is currently known about how individual bats and bat populations are affected by climate change in the Anthropocene.

NordBats is a three-year research project (started December 2024) with the full title: Vulnerability of Nordic bat species to climate change: identifying seasonal bottlenecks across latitudes, funded by the Research Council of Norway. NordBats is a collaborative project between BatLab Norway and BatLab Finland (University of Helsinki) and is led by the postdoctoral researcher Mari Aas Fjelldal. The overarching aim of NordBats is to identify and understand the mechanisms behind the impacts of climate change on bat population persistence across seasons and latitudes.

Northern latitudes are associated with strong seasonalities, where predictable but substantial changes to climatic conditions and resource availability impose large energetic demands on non-migratory species. The wetter, stormier and more unpredictable weather conditions expected in the Nordic countries will dramatically impact seasonal conditions, which through different pathways ultimately affect survival probabilities or reproductive success in bats across latitudes.

By applying stochastic dynamic state-dependent optimisation modelling, NordBats will describe short-term state-dependent optimal decisions of individual bats and their long-term consequences at the population level. These models will implement environmental conditions and future climate scenarios in addition to data on ecological and physiological species traits. As a result, we will be able to quantify sensitivity in individual survival and reproduction for each seasonal energetic dilemma Nordic bats face.

The landcover in Norway, Sweden and Finland is dominated by forest (40-70%). However, modern forestry practices have changed the Fennoscandian boreal forest landcapes drastically, from unevenaged forests with natural gap rotations of about 250 years, to a mosaic of even-aged stands which are clearcut within 70-120 years. The resulting homogenization of age as well as forest structure and composition has cascading negative effects on many species of birds, plants, insects and fungi. However, the possible long-term effects on the bat community are poorly understood.

We have a large network and collaborate with many stakeholders across research og NGOs, as well as the public, and private sectors. Below is a brief overview of some of our current partners.

We collaborate with several partners in Norway, including NGOs and individual bat experts.

Reed McKay founded Zoodenter in Ås, the local branch of the Norwegian Zoological Society. Today, the group is led by Sara Kristoffersson, a master's student at BatLab Norway. Sara is the principal investigator for a bat box monitoring project in Ås municipality, near the NMBU campus. The project, funded by the Sparebank Foundation, was launched in 2024. Master's students from BatLab Norway are actively involved and will continue to contribute to this initiative.

Our collaboration with bat expert Jeroen van der Kooij began in 2017 when Eldegard launched her first bat research project, funded by the Norwegian Environment Agency. We work with Jeroen on several topics, including the analysis of dataset from monitoring programmes inititated by the Norwegian Zoological Society: monitoring of 300 bat boxes across severeal locations in southeastern Norway, as well as the analysis of bat counts from hibernacula surveys in mines in the same region.

More information will be added here.

MOTUS wildlife tracking network.  motus.org  

BatLab Finland, Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki. Academy Reserach Fellow Thomas Lilley  BatLab Finland 

University of Sussex, UK. Professor  Fiona Mathews 

University of Kent. Postdoctoral Researcher  Natalie Yoh 

Aarhus university. Morten Elmeros, Signe Marie Mygind Brinkløv and colleagues at the Department of Ecoscience

Members of BatLab Norway actively participate in outreach activities, including radio and newspaper interviews, popular science lectures for the public, museum and science center events, bat walks, and more.

This StoryMap is a work in progress, and a list of publications will be uploaded here.

You can contact BatLab Norway by emailing Katrine Eldegard at katrine.eldegard@nmbu.no or Reed McKay at reed.mckay@nmbu.no.

If you believe bats are living in your house or know of locations that may host a bat colony—and are open to allowing us to conduct research on them—please send us a tip.

Environmental impact assessments (Konsekvensutredninger)

The BatLab Norway team generally does not undertake standard impact assessments. If you are looking for qualified professionals to conduct bat surveys, we recommend reaching out to:

Naturformidling van der Kooij - Jeroen van der Kooij - email: jevader@online.no

Norsk Zoologisk Forening - email: flaggermus@zoologi.no

Lene Berge - email: lene.berge@sweco.no

Ecofact AS -  https://www.ecofact.no/kontakt 

There are also environmental consultancies in Sweden that employ qualified bat specialists.

Found a bat in need of care or general inquiries about bats?

If you have found a bat in need of care or have bats in your house and feel uneasy or concerned—you can contact the Norwegian Zoological Society (Norsk Zoologisk Forening) for general advice and guidance.You can reach them directly by phone at 911 50 365, Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 14:00. Outside of opening hours, you may send an SMS in urgent cases, such as an injured bat. For general inquiries about bats, you can email flaggermus@zoologi.no.

Follow us on social media

 https://www.instagram.com/batlabnorway/