AN endangered species of bat which has roosts in the Tavistock area and the Tamar Valley is to benefit from a lottery fund to help its survival.

Devon Wildlife Trust has received initial support, including £65,600 development funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). for the Greater Horseshoe Bat Project.

Greater horseshoe bats are one of 16 bat species found in Britain. With wingspans of up to 40cm they are also one of the largest. They get their name from the horseshoe-shaped organ on their noses, which the bats use to navigate and find prey.

The money will be spent over 12 months developing a project aimed at securing a future for the rare bats, in their last remaining stronghold in northern Europe.

Devon Wildlife Trust is leading the project's development which involves 12 other partner organisations.

The charity's conservation advocacy manager Peter Burgess said: 'Recent decades have not been kind to the greater horseshoe bat. They have struggled to cope with a changing landscape and insensitive building developments. British populations have fallen by 90 per cent in the last century, leaving Devon as a last remaining stronghold.

'It [the project] will allow us to support local farmers to farm in more "bat friendly" ways, helping to maintain vital bat feeding areas and flight corridors.

'The crucial part for us is in the Tavistock area — land in and around the Tavistock area and the Tamar Valley are real hot-spots for the bats.'

Female greater horseshoe bats are highly sociable and gather in large maternity roosts where they bring up their offspring. Devon has eleven of these roosts, making it the most important place for the bat in northern Europe.

One of the most exciting elements of the project will be the central role to be played by local people.

Peter said: 'It's going to allow us to work with local communities, to help everyone to find out more about the bats, and enable them to contribute to the project and gain a sense of pride in their local bats.

'A number of "bat beacons" will be set up that will be a focus for guided walks and trails, while new camera technologies will give everyone an insight into the daily lives of the bats. With hundreds of local people involved, bats — indeed all wildlife — stand a better chance of thriving.'

Nerys Watts, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund South West, said: 'Whilst not always considered to be cute or cuddly, bats are essential to our eco-system and their dramatic decline in numbers clearly demonstrates the urgent need to protect and understand them.

'We're sure the Devon Wildlife Trust run project will be a great success and we look forward to seeing these initial plans progress over the coming months.'