Spatial proximity to farmland enhances bat richness and activity in planted forests

Human activities increasingly turn natural landscapes into mosaics of habitats, including settlements, agro-pastoral systems, and planted forests, often with significant impacts on biodiversity. We studied the impact of the proximity of different habitats to pine forests on insectivorous bat species richness, activity, and behaviour. We predicted that pine plantations would host the highest species richness and activity of forest bats compared to other habitat types, particularly those near agricultural fields, which may offer linear features for navigation and abundant insect prey. We used a landscape approach to assess the effects of a matrix of human-modified habitats on bat communities in the pine plantations of the Judean Lowland, Israel. We conducted acoustic surveys and classified bat recordings according to species and their behaviour which include commuting, foraging, feeding, and social interactions. Bats occurred preferably in orchards and pine plantations, where species richness, activity, and social interactions were higher than in any other habitat type. Activity and richness of bats increased near the Mediterranean maquis. Farmland proximity, particularly orchards, positively influenced bat activity, feeding, and commuting within pine forests and Mediterranean maquis. Feeding activity was most frequent in orchards (vineyards and olive groves) and increased in adjacent pine plantations. We propose that farmland may serve as supportive, insect-rich habitats for bats in pine plantations, underscoring their potential value in forest management strategies and agricultural practices. These findings emphasise the importance of reevaluating human-modified landscapes, including planted forests, in conservation plans to protect a mosaic of ecologically highly valuable habitats for bats.