WELLINGTON, March 9 (Xinhua) -- One of New Zealand's rare bats is on its way to recovery after successful large-scale predator control in Fiordland, the country's south-western corner, according to a new science report released by Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage on Friday.
The New Zealand Threat Classification System report on the conservation status of New Zealand bats updates the last review in 2012.
The most significant change is the move of southern short-tailed bat from "threatened" to "recovering", largely due to the government's sustained control of rats, possums and stoats in its last mainland habitat, Sage said in a statement.
"Numbers of short-tailed bats in the Eglinton valley in Fiordland National Park have steadily grown from about 300 to more than 3,000 since predator control began more than a decade ago," she said, adding that the Eglinton is the last known South Island mainland site for this bat subspecies, which is also found on pest-free Codfish Island, a small island in southern New Zealand.
The population of long-tailed bats in the Eglinton is also growing at a similar rate. However, the picture is not as good for bats in other areas, particularly the North Island, she said.
"The status of our North Island long-tailed bats has worsened since 2012 and they are now grouped with their South Island counterparts in the highest threat category of 'nationally critical'," the minister said.
In many areas, populations of both bat species continue to decline due to the threat of rats, stoats, possums and cats, and clearance of lowland forest and large old trees where bats roost, she added.
New Zealand has two species of bats: the long-tailed bat and short-tailed bat, of which there are three subspecies. A third species -- the greater short-tailed bat -- is thought to be extinct.
