21 September

The main reason we’re seeing a massive influx of bats to places like Bathurst is still the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires. Those fires destroyed enormous amounts of native habitat. Bats are actually a main way that habitat regenerates, they’re pollinators, much more than bees or birds. They’re a sign the landscape is trying to repair itself, overnight when we don’t see them they’re off pollinating far and wide. This is a very visible example of the sorts of impacts climate change will increasingly have on our lives. People moan about Council not getting rid of the bats. First, it’s physically impossible, and it’s illegal to even try (they’re endangered). And second, they’re here because we’re not addressing climate change. They’re a wake-up call. They’re trying to repair our damage.