The bats of the Sierra de Alcaraz Greenway

The Sierra de Alcaraz Greenway

Thanks to the failure of Railway plan for the first quarter of the last century, today we can enjoy one of the railways that were left unfinished. The Baeza-Utiel line, whose stretch between Albacete and Alcaraz gave way to the current one Sierra de Alcaraz Greenway

This Greenway has 75 kilometers that can be traveled on foot or by bicycle, full of important natural values. The stretch between Balazote (kilometer 31.5) and the gates of the Sierra de Alcaraz deserves special attention. The important biological and especially ornithological wealth of the entire area is well recognized, especially in areas close to the Greenway such as the Laguna del Arquillo Or the Laguna de los Ojos de Villaverde Nature Reserve.

The bats of the Sierra de Alcaraz Greenway

Unlike other natural values, the chiropterological fauna of the area has been little studied to date. This is demonstrated by the 10×10 km UTM grids of the Spanish Inventory of Terrestrial Species. This Inventory does not provide any citations for bats in the greenway environment.

Faced with this vacuum, and with the support of the Albacete Provincial Council we decided to start a short study in September 2017. The study aimed to make a first approach to the chiroptological fauna of the Sierra de Alcaraz Greenway. The use of ultrasound detectors allowed us to confirm the first records of eleven species of chiroptera in this environment. Given the good condition of the area and the diversity of biotopes, many of these species were as expected. You can see the characteristics and cataloguing of the eleven species detected in the following poster (click to download or view).

What we have left to do about the chiropterans of the Sierra de Alcaraz Greenway

A lot, we still have a lot to do. We must continue to deepen our knowledge of the species present and their behavior. But above all, to disseminate and communicate, to make this group increasingly visible (and less feared), which brings us so many benefits and is also one of the best indicators of the state of our ecosystems.