The state of bats in conservation planning for the National Wildlife Refuge System, with recommendations

Bats face an unprecedented array of threats in the early 21st century, from traditional concerns such as habitat loss, to white nose syndrome and collisions with wind turbines. These growing challenges arise when the National Wildlife Refuge System, a system of public lands and waters that provides habitat for nearly every bat species in North America north of Mexico, is beginning its first revision cycle for its management plans, known as Comprehensive Conservation Plans. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is thus uniquely positioned to assess its current contribution to sustaining viable populations of bats in the United States and incorporate those findings into the biological objectives that will guide Refuge management for the next 15 y. We present a review of the degree to which the first generation of Comprehensive Conservation Plans addresses bat conservation, and we provide recommendations to guide managers, planners, and partners in the development of the second generation of these Comprehensive Conservation Plans.