Recordings of bat echolocation and social calls are used for many research purposes from ecological studies to taxonomy. Effective use of these relies on identification of species from the recordings, but comparative recordings or detailed call descriptions to support identification are often lacking for areas with high biodiversity. The ChiroVox website (www.chirovox.org) was created to facilitate the sharing of bat sound recordings together with their metadata, including biodiversity data and recording circumstances. To date, more than 30 researchers have contributed over 3,900 recordings of nearly 200 species, making ChiroVox the largest open-access bat call library currently available. Each recording has a unique identifier that can be cited in publications; hence the acoustic analyses are repeatable. Most of the recordings available through the website are from bats whose species identities are confirmed, so they can be used to determine species in recordings where the bats were not captured or could not be identified. We hope that with the help of the bat researcher community, the website will grow rapidly and will serve as a solid source for bat acoustic research and monitoring.

Renewable energy is growing at a rapid pace globally but as yet there has been little research on the effects of ground‐mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) developments on bats, many species of which are threatened or protected. We conducted a paired study at 19 ground‐mounted solar PV developments in southwest England. We used static detectors to record bat echolocation calls from boundaries (i.e. hedgerows) and central locations (open areas) at fields with solar PV development, and simultaneously at matched sites without solar PV developments (control fields). We used generalised linear mixed‐effect models to assess how solar PV developments and boundary habitat affected bat activity and species richness. The activity of six of eight species/species groups analysed was negatively affected by solar PV panels, suggesting that loss and/or fragmentation of foraging/commuting habitat is caused by ground‐mounted solar PV panels. Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Nyctalus spp. activity was lower at solar PV sites regardless of the habitat type considered. Negative impacts of solar PV panels at field boundaries were apparent for the activity of Myotis spp. and Eptesicus serotinus, and in open fields for Pipistrellus pygmaeus and Plecotus spp. Bat species richness was greater along field boundaries compared with open fields, but there was no effect of solar PV panels on species richness. Policy implications: Ground‐mounted solar photovoltaic developments have a significant negative effect on bat activity, and should be considered in appropriate planning legislation and policy. Solar photovoltaic developments should be screened in Environmental Impact Assessments for ecological impacts, and appropriate mitigation (e.g. maintaining boundaries, planting vegetation to network with surrounding foraging habitat) and monitoring should be implemented to highlight potential negative effects.

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A denevérek rejtőzködő, éjszakai állatok, ezért nehéz vizuális adatokat gyűjteni jelenlétükről. Ultrahangjaik rögzítésével és elemzésével azonban nagy mennyiségű információ nyerhető életmódjukról és fajösszetételükről. Az első magyarországi, denevérek felmérésére irányuló „citizen science” projekt célja egy önkéntesbázis kialakítása, valamint új adatok gyűjtése volt Budapest denevérfaunájáról. Felmérésünkben 34 önkéntes segítségével hat denevérfaj biztos jelenlétét mutattuk ki Budapest bel-, és külterületéről, illetve a környező településekről. Leggyakoribbnak a rőt koraidenevér (Nyctalus noctula), az alpesi denevér (Hypsugo savii) és a fehérszélű törpedenevér (Pipistrellus kuhlii) bizonyult. Vizsgálatunk az első, mely felhívja a figyelmet az utóbbi két faj tömeges budapesti előfordulására. Tanulmányunkban összefoglaljuk a közösségi felmérés tapasztalatait, és javaslatokat fogalmazunk meg a jövőbeni felmérésekre vonatkozóan.