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Registrations now open!

Rai Valley, Marlborough, 16–19 March 2014

Forest & Bird is hosting the fourth New Zealand bat conference in Rai Valley, within the Pelorus River catchment, in the heartland of Marlborough’s remaining long-tailed bat population.

Current information indicates that without effective conservation management bat populations will progressively disappear from the New Zealand mainland.

The overall theme of the conference is working together to ensure this doesn’t happen and to achieve better outcomes for New Zealand’s bats

Forest & Bird’s Te Hoiere/Pelorus Bridge Bat Recovery Project has been underway in nearby Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve since 2010.

The reserve is crucial to the bat population’s survival, as it includes one of the few remaining stands of the towering podocarp forests that covered the area’s alluvial lowlands before logging began 100 years ago.

Ngati Kuia have manawhenua over Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve – or Titiraukawa, and also have wider interests over the Pelorus catchment/Te Hoiere.

Top of the South Field Officer, Debs Martin and bat expert, Brian Lloyd tracking down bats on D’Urville Island.

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Conference Themes  

Presentations

Conference presentations will be grouped into five sessions based on the following themes:

• Bat conservation case studies
• State of the art pest control for bat conservation
• Bat research updates
• Bat surveys and monitoring
• Developing partnerships for bat conservation.

Discussion Group Themes

• Bat conservation strategies

What is this?

• Creating and running community conservation groups
• Is the time right to form an independent national group to advocate for bats?

Technical Workshop Themes

•  Survey and monitoring
•  Catching and handling
•  Pest control.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL PROGRAMME HERE

VIEW THE FULL LIST OF PRESENTATIONS HERE

Location

Although there will be workshops and field trips throughout the Pelorus catchment, the main conference venue is Carluke Hall, on Opouri Road, 1 km from State Highway 6 in the rural Rai Valley, mid way between Nelson and Blenheim. The hall is 2 km from Rai Valley township.

Post-Conference Field Trip

A two day post-conference field trip to D’Urville Island is being considered. D’Urville Island is the eighth largest island in New Zealand and bat surveys undertaken last summer indicate that it is home to one of the largest bat populations in the South Island. The island includes an extensive area (>60 km2) of relatively unmodified low altitude forest, and is free of possums, ship rats, Norway rats, weasels and ferrets. Consequently, it may provide the best prospects for long-term conservation of South Island long-tailed bats.

Registration 

Registrations are now open.  You can register by downloading this registration form and sending it to:

Email: [email protected]

Postal: Bat Conference, PO Box 266, Nelson 7040.

Registrations close on 1 March 2014.  Late registrations may be accepted and will be accompanied by a late registration fee of $20.

A separate registration is required for each person and should be accompanied by payment of the full cost.

Payment can be made by internet banking or including a cheque with registration form in the post.  Please ensure your name is clearly identified as a reference if using internet banking.

Fees: Please see registration form to calculate your fee.  Secondary and tertiary students receive a discount on fees if they are presenting a paper.

For more information on the various accommodation & catering options, seehere