You probably don’t give much thought to bats when you’re walking through Tenerife’s forests.
They’re not exactly putting on a show in broad daylight. But once the sun goes down, these small nocturnal residents get to work, quietly playing an important role in the island’s ecosystem.
And now, following the devastating 2023 wildfire, they’re also helping scientists understand how Tenerife’s forests are recovering.
A helping hand after the wildfire
The 2023 fire burned through 14,751 hectares, damaging large areas of forest and, among other things, reducing the number of natural shelters available to bats.
For the past two years, the Cabildo de Tenerife has been running a programme to support some of the island’s most vulnerable bat species.
As part of the project, 108 bat boxes have been installed across the Crown Forest, giving bats somewhere safe to shelter while the forest slowly regenerates.
It might seem like a fairly simple idea. Put up a few wooden boxes and wait. But the early results suggest the bats are making use of them.
Good news for Tenerife’s most threatened species
Preliminary data has shown a positive response from two of the Canary Islands’ most threatened bat species, the Canary long-eared bat and the Canary barbastelle.
In some parts of the Crown Forest, their activity is reportedly higher than in other ecosystems.
That’s encouraging because the Canary long-eared bat, in particular, is classified as critically endangered, with a limited distribution and declining populations.
Tenerife is home to six species of bat, including the endemic Madeira bat and species found exclusively in the Canary Islands.
More than just bats
Bats play an important role in controlling insect populations and maintaining the balance of the forest ecosystem.
They’re also useful indicators of environmental health. If bats are returning and finding suitable places to live, it’s a reasonable sign that the ecosystem is beginning to support life again.
And that’s really the bigger point of the project.
Forest recovery isn’t just about watching blackened trees turn green again. A healthy forest needs the animals, insects and other species that make up the whole ecosystem.
Sometimes the best evidence that nature is recovering is happening above your head while you’re asleep.