As part of the winter monitoring conducted under the project “Bats and Men – Sharing LIFE Under One Roof”, our experts visited 25 sites, including 19 natural caves and 6 artificial shelters.

During the observations, over 53,000 individual bats were recorded, belonging to 11 different species. The most numerous were representatives of Miniopterus schreibersii – around 30,000 individuals. They were followed by Myotis capaccinii with approximately 15,000, Myotis myotis / Myotis blythii with about 6,000, and members of the genus Rhinolophus – R. blasii, R. mehelyi, and R. euryale – with a total of around 2,000 specimens.

The monitoring results are extremely important for planning future conservation measures and improving the habitats of cave-dwelling species in Bulgaria. The project aims for the coexistence of humans and bats, relying on a scientific approach, engagement of local communities, and long-term sustainable biodiversity management.