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<p><i>Rhinolophus hipposideros</i> populations in Britain are recovering from a severe population crash in the mid-20th century. In recent years, substantial declines in <i>R. hipposideros</i> numbers, coinciding with the arrival of <i>Rhinolophus ferrumequinum</i>, have been observed at summer roosts. Here, we aim to understand whether <i>R. ferrumequinum</i> are occurring more frequently in <i>R. hipposideros</i> roosts and whether these are impacting population growth. We used <i>R. hipposideros</i> summer roost counts from the National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP) database to assess this impact. Our findings indicate that <i>R. ferrumequinum</i> are increasingly being observed in <i>R. hipposideros</i> roosts in summer from 2010 onwards. From 1998 to 2010, <i>R. hipposideros</i> population trends increased similarly whether <i>R. ferrumequinum</i> were observed or not inside the roost. However, population trends decreased by 15% (6.8–22%) between 2015 and 2023 in roosts where <i>R. ferrumequinum</i> have occurred, while populations continued to increase in roosts where they have not been observed. The timing of this decrease also coincides with the rise of <i>R. ferrumequinum</i> occurrences in <i>R. hipposideros</i> roosts. It is not yet fully understood how these interactions are impacting <i>R. hipposideros</i>, but these appear to reduce the recovery of the affected roosts. As both species are highly protected, active management to accommodate the roosts for both species is preferable. However, a clear understanding of the local and national context of each affected roost for both species is required if a species is to be prioritised.</p>

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Interactions between two protected species: Rhinolophus ferrumequinum impacting the recovery of Rhinolophus hipposideros populations in Britain

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月4日

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  • Patrick Wright,
  • Tom Kitching,
  • Marina Bollo Palacios,
  • Daniel Hargreaves,
  • Max Anderson

摘要

Rhinolophus hipposideros populations in Britain are recovering from a severe population crash in the mid-20th century. In recent years, substantial declines in R. hipposideros numbers, coinciding with the arrival of Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, have been observed at summer roosts. Here, we aim to understand whether R. ferrumequinum are occurring more frequently in R. hipposideros roosts and whether these are impacting population growth. We used R. hipposideros summer roost counts from the National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP) database to assess this impact. Our findings indicate that R. ferrumequinum are increasingly being observed in R. hipposideros roosts in summer from 2010 onwards. From 1998 to 2010, R. hipposideros population trends increased similarly whether R. ferrumequinum were observed or not inside the roost. However, population trends decreased by 15% (6.8–22%) between 2015 and 2023 in roosts where R. ferrumequinum have occurred, while populations continued to increase in roosts where they have not been observed. The timing of this decrease also coincides with the rise of R. ferrumequinum occurrences in R. hipposideros roosts. It is not yet fully understood how these interactions are impacting R. hipposideros, but these appear to reduce the recovery of the affected roosts. As both species are highly protected, active management to accommodate the roosts for both species is preferable. However, a clear understanding of the local and national context of each affected roost for both species is required if a species is to be prioritised.