Bonn, 3 May 2012 - New Year of the Bat (YoB) promotional and educational materials have been launched to support the global outreach of the campaign under the CMS Secretariat. The double-sided campaign poster is available in English on the front and either French, Spanish and German on the back. It was produced with the kind support of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety of Germany.

The message of the poster clearly shows that bats are an essential part of biodiversity. Bats provide important ecosystem services as pollinators of our green planet. In the tropical forests some plants flower only at night to attract bats. Several agricultural plants partly rely on bats for pollination or seed dispersal. In addition, bats are able to boost crops by acting as pest control agent.

This unique capacity is featured in the fourth edition of the YoB Bat Chat. While we are heading towards Rio+20, we learn how Brazilian bats help boost cotton crops in the United States. YoB Ambassador Rodrigo Medellín and co-author of the study on Brazilian bats also reported on educational activities that took place in Mexico.

The topics of this YoB Bat Chat disclose a new regional concept. This newsletter is dedicated to bats and how they are perceived in the Americas. As the campaign is spreading its wings beyond Europe in its second year, the following editions will focus on Africa, Asia and Australia.

Please access the links below to view or order:

YoB promotional items

YoB newsletter