Main GIRC activities

• Creation and constant update of "Chiroptera Italica" Web site, the link between Italian and foreign bat researchers;
• Creation and management of "Pipistrelli" mailing list kindly hosted on ss.cnr.it National Research Council server (Sassari University)
• Action towards the Italian Ministry of the Environment, aimed toward the adoption of the European Bat Agreement by the Italian Government, promoted in collaboration with with the Italian Theriological association (A.T.It.) and the Italian National Research Council (C.N.R.) - Nature Conservation Commission. Now the file is in the hands of Foreign Ministry Office, to sign the convention with other European Member States;
• Creation of the Italian Roosts database, the first and unique synthesis about bat roost distribution in Italy (more than 3000 records present at 12 February 2002);
• Participation to the VIII^th European Bat Research Symposium, held in Krakow (Poland) with a poster on "The Italian bat roost atlas: a synthesis of the last ten years of research";
• Collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment to increase base environmental knowledge, in particular on Chiroptera (2000-2001).
• Sponsorship to the teaching-touring exhibition on bats for the EU Life Project (Campo dei Fiori Regional Park - Varese);
• Organization of the Workshop "Bat banding: laws, Ethics and aims", held at Onferno Natural Reserve, Gemmano (Rimini), 7 April 2001.
• Organization of the Workshop "Italian Rinolophids: ecology, status and conservation", held at Onferno Natural Reserve, Gemmano (Rimini), 26 January 2002.
• Sponsorship of the "Pygmaeus project", in collaboration with the Swiss Bat Protection Centre, aimed at the study of distrinution and habitat use of Pipistrellus pygmaeus across the border between Switzerland and Italy.
• Sponsorship of the European Bat Night 2001, which took place in about 20 locations from May to August. Several events including bat-walks, talks and slide-show took place in Cuneo, Firenze, Forlė, Rimini, Varese and at the Abruzzo National Park.

Work in progress

• Drafting of a protocol on bat monitoring in Italy, in collaboration with National Wildlife Institute and the Ministry of the Environment.