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Bat cave cleanup at Naracoorte National Park
The name 'Bat Cave' usually conjures up images of the superhero's secret headquarters, but for the nationally threatened Southern Bentwing Bat the cave in the Naracoorte Caves National Park is one of only two breeding sites worldwide.
Research found that a drop in numbers from 100-200,000 in the 1960s to around 35,000 in 2000 may have resulted from habitat loss and human disturbance.
Key habitat has now been restored thanks to the Friends of Naracoorte Caves.
Funding
The group received almost $10,000 from the Australian Government Envirofund to undertake a major clean-up of the site.
Southern Bentwing Bats breed in two 'maternity' caves over summer and then travel to wintering caves to spend the colder months. There are over 50 known wintering caves, though several have been used as illegal rubbish dumps for many years.
Steve Bourne, Naracoorte Caves National Park Manager, says all kinds of rubbish had been dumped in and around Cave Park Cave and Joanna Bat Cave, from car wrecks to chemical containers.
"These sites have been known to house up to 15,000 Southern Bentwing Bats, almost half of the total population that breeds at Bat Cave, but because of the waste most were forced to move elsewhere," he said.
Activities
"Around 30 volunteers as well as a Green Corps team have been involved in a massive clean-up effort, which has resulted in an amazing transformation.
"At Joanna Bat Cave, ten Green Corps members helped remove an astounding 30 tonnes of glass and steel over a period of a few weeks, including a large tank which was blocking the entrance to the cave. As an environmental bonus, this waste was all recycled.
"Whereas previously we only used to see 20 to 30 bats at the site, we were seeing several hundred within six to eight weeks of the clean-up which was very exciting.
"At Cave Park Cave a similar clean-up operation took place, coupled with work to protect and enhance a corridor of vegetation from the cave to Mosquito Creek. The bats don't like to fly over cleared land so this helped provide safe passage for them.
"Both caves are located on private land, as are most of the wintering caves, and this work would not have been possible without the support and enthusiasm of the landowners. At Cave Park Cave, the owners, the Mencel family, really embraced the work we were doing and actually donated more land than we originally proposed, which was great."
More information
- Steve Bourne, Naracoorte Caves National Park Manager: (08) 8762 3412 or bourne.steven@saugov.sa.gov.au
- Naracoorte Caves National Park
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