Alqueva: Shelter bat is one of the most important in Europe.
Monitoring of bats under the artificial Alqueva revealed an occupation of about 6 000 Four different species individuals, all of them with worrying conservation status.
These figures exceed all expectations and reinforces the relevance of that shelter, not only as “National Importance under”, but, also, as one of the most successful artificial shelters across Europe.
The numbers, now Registered, increase to double the number observed in the same time 2017, year that had already registered a very significant increase.
monitoring, made by ICNF – Institute of Nature Conservation and Forestry under the National Plan of Bats, It has the support of EDIA in shelters in the area of ​​Development of Multiple Purposes of Alqueva.
The work carried out this May revealed, in Alqueva Shelter, the following numbers: 4840 Miniopteros schreibersii (vulnerable status) 886 Myotis myotis (vulnerable status), 200 Rhinolophus mehelyi (critically endangered status) and 1 Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (vulnerable status).
The Alqueva shelter was built in 1995, as a measure to minimize the impact of construction of the dam alqueva.
At the time a settlement was detected with few hundred five species of bats, in work zone, it was necessary to create an alternative. So, was built the current shelter today proves a success.
