TRAINING FOR AN NATURAL ENGLAND ROOST VISITOR LICENCE

Important bat research work can be undertaken without a licence - searching for bat roosts, counting bats outside of bat roosts, putting up boxes and analysing droppings. You only need a licence you want to enter known roosts (including bats boxes that have been or are being used by bats) or catch or handle bats. Training for a conservation licence is undertaken jointly between Natural England and Sussex Bat Group. All trainees are assigned to an experienced and qualified trainer. The majority of the training is practical and is offered by the trainer and other members of the local bat group at no charge. In return for this free training it is understood that the trainee will work as a volunteer for Natural England and support the work of the local bat group when trained. At the moment, there is a waiting list of over a year for training in Sussex. If you decide you want to register you will be put on a waiting list. When a place becomes available with a trainer you will be asked to have a meeting with them. If the trainer is happy to take you on, you can then register to train. Training for a licence takes time and commitment. Please take some time to read through this information and think carefully before you decide to register to train. What do licensed bat workers do? The position of a licensed Natural England bat worker is a voluntary role. Bat workers do important work helping to protect bats and their roosting sites. The core tasks include:

Working with the public to promote bat conservation.

Visiting domestic houses and examining them for evidence of bats.

•  Reporting back to Natural England by filling out and returning a bat roost visit report form after each visit made at Natural England's request. This roost report is used by Natural England to give formal advice to the householder. Advice is not given directly by the bat worker. Training for a licence In order to get a licence a bat worker needs a range of practical experience and a thorough grounding in the ecology and legal aspects of bat work. Here is a brief guide to the training syllabus. A bat worker should:

• Have a good knowledge of bat ecology, threats to bats, and bat conservation.
• Have practical experience of handling bats.
• Be able to identify injuries and/or problems with a bat.
• Know when to pass on an injured bat to an experienced carer.
• Understand and able to use identification aids for different species of bat.
• Understand the requirements of different species of bats and their roosts, and the bats year.

•  Have a good knowledge of the legislation afforded to bats and their roosts. •  Fully understand a bat workers licence, other licences and their restrictions/conditions.   How long does training take? It depends. Training will take a minimum of one year but it could take several years depending on the circumstances. Although there is no set number of roost visits required to gain a licence. What follows is a guide only and gives you some idea of the time and commitment necessary to get a licence. You will need to have experience of a variety of visits to private houses where there are bat roosts. In addition you will visit bat roosts in:

• churches (L)
• barns (L)
• hibernation site visits. (L)
• and go on bat walks with an experienced leader.

(*(L) indicates visits with a licensed bat worker)

The Bat Conservation Trust and Field Studies Council ( www.field-studies-council.org tel: 01743 852100) offer courses that will help support training.