Drying Up

Like all animals, bats depend on water to survive—especially in arid or desert regions. Because they drink while in flight, bats must have open water sources like lakes, ponds, and springs, and in arid regions, they need to be able to drink at least once a night. In addition, the plants that grow around these water sources, called riparian vegetation, are the richest foraging habitat for insectivorous bats and several species rely on the trees that grow around water spots for roosting sites.

In other words, water loss is one of the significant drivers behind bat habitat loss, especially in regions that are already dry.

Water loss can also directly impact bats’ bodies: They can lose up to 30% of their body weight due to water evaporation within 24 hours. Water shortages particularly impact female bats because they need up to six times more water than males. When female bats die due to lack of water, it can have profound impacts on the population.

That’s why the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) and Bat Conservation International (BCI) are paying close attention to the effect water loss has on bat habitats around the country. And they have become increasingly concerned about the U.S. Southwest.

This region of the country has experienced a major loss of wetland habitat since early in the 20th century due to changes in land use, such as increased agricultural use. This area of the country has already been, and will continue to be, impacted by climate change, leading to more droughts, wildfires, and water loss.

“Loss of water resources will have a big impact on bats and all other wildlife that live in this already arid region,” says Dr. Amanda Adams, BCI’s Director of Research Coordination. “We have partners that have reported losses of up to 50% of desert springs on their managed lands over the past five years.”

Dr. Adams has been working with NABat Hub Coordinators in her role at BCI, as well as with BCI’s Habitat Protection and Restoration Team that helps monitor and spot trends impacting bats, like the loss of water resources in the Southwest.

The good news is that BCI is working to restore desert springs in Arizona and New Mexico where many of the affected bat species live.

“We are working to restore these habitats, build ecosystem resilience, protect at-risk species, and strengthen habitat connectivity,” Dr. Adams says. “The impact of our research and restoration will contribute data to NABat.”

This will help BCI continue to better understand how the threats facing bat populations in the Southwest are contributing to these species’ status—and with more understanding, we can hopefully better conserve southwestern bat species in the future by protecting their particularly vulnerable habitats.