[Animals] Spain takes 30 years to ratify a European agreement to protect bats

[Draeno]

 

 

Nieuwkoop is a small town in the Netherlands with barely 1,500 inhabitants and one that we in Spain have probably never heard of. It is between Amsterdam and The Hague and it has a feature that made it unique in the world for a while: the city lighting is red. The reason behind this decision is not to disturb the bats with the brightness of the streetlights. This step may surprise you, but it is better understood if you know that the Netherlands signed a European agreement in 1992 to protect bats. Another 37 countries followed suit. Spain has done it this Thursday, more than 30 years later, when Congress has ratified it.

Eurobats, as this agreement is known, seeks to protect the more than 50 species of bats that exist in Europe through legislation, education, conservation measures and international cooperation. Before the start of the new millennium, 15 countries had already signed it and, since then, practically the majority of European states have joined. Spain was an exception until this Thursday and now only Austria, Belarus, Greece, Turkey and Russia remain.

Why join us?
The approval of this agreement may seem strange. However, in the Spanish Catalog of Threatened Species, prepared by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, there are 33 species of bats that are at risk, which represents 40% of mammals. And, with these data on the table, how is it that Spain has taken so long to sign this agreement?

This same question was asked by the deputies of United We Can Juantxo López Uralde and Eva García Sempere and the socialist deputy Marc Lamuà to the PP in 2017, under the Government of Mariano Rajoy. In the two written questions that they asked the po[CENSORED]r, they rejected the argument given that it was due to a budget restriction, since being part of the agreement involves an investment of 38,000 euros per year. In addition, Uralde and García pointed out that the presence of bats entails a saving of 165 euros per cultivated hectare, since they eat insects (1,200 mosquitoes per hour and up to their body weight in insects each night) and it is not necessary to use insecticides. .

The PP responded that bats were already protected in Spain and that "the incorporation of Spain into the Eurobats agreement of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) would not entail additional legal obligations." However, this Thursday the conservatives have supported the ratification of the agreement. Only the 52 Vox deputies have abstained.

 

https://www.elperiodico.com/es/politica/20230511/espana-30-anos-ratificar-acuerdo-europeo-proteccion-murcielagos-87196651