Protecting pekapeka in Tāmaki Makaurau

Did you know that pekapeka can fly up to 50km in one night? It’s #BatAppreciationMonth – the best time to brush up on your bat facts!

In New Zealand, pekapeka/bats fill an important niche in our ecosystems - in fact pekapeka tou poto/short-tailed bats are our only native mammalian pollinator! These guys need protecting, with pekapeka tou roa/long-tailed bats classed as nationally critical – the highest threat classification in New Zealand’s classification system.

In forests with predator control, the population of pekapeka tou roa are growing at a 4-10% rate, yet in fragmented habitats without these protections the species is decreasing by 5-9% per year.

We’re assisting Auckland Council, EcoQuest and mana whenua in a conservation project to learn more about the pekapeka in the Franklin region. During the survey, bats will be fitted with light weight transmitters for a short period of time (the transmitters fall off by themselves at around 20 days) to understand more about their habitat use and roosting preferences.

Later this year, four of our kaimahi will be heading to a workshop run by EcoQuest and Auckland Council to learn how to find these bats using radio telemetry. They’ll then put these skills to use!

This mahi also aims to spread awareness and advocate for bats within the local community, as well as establish a permanent base of volunteers to help with bat monitoring going forward.