The role of secondary trees in Mediterranean mature forests for the conservation of the forest-dwelling bat Myotis alcathoe. Are current logging guidelines appropriate?

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) Forest cover in Europe has substantially increased in recent decades, resulting in extensive secondary forest cover (ca. 10–20 years) that is too young for many specialist forest-dwelling species. In the Mediterranean region, forests have historically been logged with detrimental effects on local biodiversity. Only a few small forest patches remain untouched. Specialist forest-dwelling species are often less studied than other species due to their lower population densities and the inherent difficulties involved in sampling. In fact, some forests species have only recently been discovered or described such as the Myotis alcathoe (Alcathoe bat) and so there is a remarkable dearth of information regarding their natural history, habitat requirements and conservation status.