Bats will benefit from lottery money to help them to recover lost territory and to reverse more than a century of decline.

The grant is intended to teach people to have a greater affection for bats, which are regarded by enthusiasts as Britain’s most misunderstood creatures. The Heritage Lottery Fund will give almost £600,000 to conservationists, who hope to increase awareness of the needs of bats.

All 17 species in Britain have declined in numbers greatly since the end of the industrial revolution, a trend that has accelerated in the 20th century. One of them, the greater mouse-eared bat, was thought to have died out in Britain in 1991, until a specimen was found in Sussex in 2001. Numbers have stabilised in most species and are thought to have improved over the past ten years among four types of bat, but at least one species is thought still to be in decline.

“We want people to learn to love the bat,” Philip Briggs, of the Bat Conservation Trust, said. “The situation is better nowadays but there’s a long tradition of bats being misunderstood creatures of the night.”

The four-year project, called England Bat Count and organised by the trust, will include giving people training in how to spot bats and how to encourage them to return to their former territories. A series of activities will be held, particularly bat walks, to improve people’s understanding.

It is hoped that more volunteers will take part in the national monitoring scheme, which has been assessing bat numbers for the past ten years. Even experts have difficulty counting bats, which fly at speed in the dark, so the monitoring concentrates on identifying which areas have populations and which species are present. Data on bat populations remains sketchy in many areas and for several species, but an increase in the number of people taking part in surveys should result in more detailed information, which will assist conservation programmes.

The four species of bat that have begun to increase in numbers over the past ten years are the common pipistrelle, the lesser horseshoe, Dauben-ton’s and Natterer’s. Bechstein’s bat is thought to remain in decline and there are concerns about the noctule, which has suffered a decline in some regions. Five species of bat living in Britain are considered to under threat globally – the greater horseshoe, bar-bastelle, Bechstein’s, the greater mouse-eared and Leisler’s.

Carole Souter, director of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “Bats are fascinating but often misunderstood creatures.” She said she was confident that the project would “not only help people look after their local bat population but also give them a greater understanding of how important they are to both our fragile ecosystem and our natural heritage”.

Chris Packham, a wildlife broadcaster and president of the Bat Conservation Trust, said: “It’s fantastic. We believe everyone should have the chance to learn more about bats and to help these amazing creatures, and this project will make that happen.”

Flying tonight

The phrase “blind as a bat” is misconceived – not only can bats see, they also use echolocation to fly at night

They are rarely found in belfries – they prefer peace, quiet and an absence of cobwebs

Vampire bats don’t suck blood – they graze their victim then lap it up. They prefer cattle to people

A single pipistrelle bat can eat 3,000 insects in a night

All the species of bat in Britain eat insects

The noctule is one of the largest species in Britain and makes a noise four times louder than the legal limit for nightclubs

The voice of the horseshoe bat is in its nose – it “sneezes” echolocation signals

Species found in Britain

Common pipistrelle; soprano pipistrelle; nathusius’ pipistrelle; brown long-eared; natterer’s; grey long-eared; daubenton’s; whiskered; brandt’s; bechstein’s; barbastelle; noctule; leisler’s; serotine; greater horseshoe; lesser horseshoe; greater mouse-eared

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