Protecting Wild Animals Has Never Been More Urgent. But There's a Reason It Can Be Harder Than It Seems.

"The authorities behind the A11 extension decided to build a series of bridges to help bats cross the road. Bats navigate by emitting high-frequency sounds and detecting their echo, and the theory was that bats speeding toward the new road would detect and follow the line of the wire bridge upward and over the road, just as they follow the line of a hedge."

"Despite the installation costing over half a million dollars, there is no evidence supporting the effectiveness of these bridges in conserving bat populations, raising concerns about the success of such conservation efforts."

Bat bridges were constructed in 2014 to aid bats crossing the A11 road, which disrupted their habitats. Bats are protected by law in the U.K., and developers must mitigate environmental impacts. The bridges were based on the theory that bats would follow the wire mesh as they navigate using echolocation. Despite the installation costing over half a million dollars, there is no evidence supporting the effectiveness of these bridges in conserving bat populations, raising concerns about the success of such conservation efforts.

Read at Slate Magazine