Over 400 researchers from 45 countries are participating in a conference running until Friday at the Conference Centre of Tarragona. The event features the involvement of the IPHES and it is supported by the URV, which has also collaborated in its organization

The Conference Centre in Tarragona is hosting the 16th European Bat Research Symposium (EBRS 2024) from Monday to Friday, 6 September. This event, which takes up the baton from Turku (Finland), the site of the previous symposium, aims to share research trends and scientific discoveries made across Europe in recent years.

However, the conference extends beyond Europe, as researchers from all over the world have gathered in Tarragona to present studies and share experiences. The event is organized by the Biodiversity and Bioindicators Research Group (BiBio) from the Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers and is supported by Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), which has also helped to organize it. Researchers from the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES), which has a dedicated research line on this subject, are also participating.

Bats are the second most diverse group of mammals on the planet, with over 1,400 species playing a critical ecological role. Many species serve as indicators of the health of rivers and forests, act as natural pest controllers for agriculture, prey on disease-carrying mosquitoes, and, in regions such as the Americas, Africa, and Asia, contribute significantly to pollination and seed dispersal.

Key issues discussed at the congress include measures to mitigate bat mortality in wind farms, policies to enhance bat populations in agricultural areas to control insect pests, habitat management in response to climate change, and the protection and management of natural caves and mines where bats breed and seek refuge.