Mines and bats: the impact of open-pit mining on bat activity

Abstract

Areas used in open-pit mining often undergo sudden and extensive landscape changes, including habitat fragmentation. With mining activity predicted to expand, understanding the impacts of this habitat loss on wildlife is key to developing effective mitigation at new mine developments. Despite this, research into the impacts of open-pit mines in general, and on bat populations in particular, is largely lacking. Here, we investigated potential impacts of a recently re-established open-pit mine in southwest Britain on bat activity in the surrounding landscape, using remote monitoring techniques. Distance from the mine site boundary was found to be an important predictor of bat species richness and activity levels, with the effect on richness extending to approximately 900 m from the site and the effect on activity potentially extending beyond the sampling range (1,200 m). The effect of distance from the site boundary on species richness also varied with the proportion of woodland cover. It appears that habitat loss within the mine site boundary may have reduced bat movement because of barrier effects. The study highlights the need for further research into the impacts of mines on bats.