In many parts of the world, bats are often vilified as blood-sucking pests and carriers of potentially deadly pathogens, like coronaviruses. But that reputation obscures all the good things that bats do, say experts. The winged mammals – only a tiny fraction of which drink blood, by the way – play a crucial role in many ecosystems by pollinating plants and controlling insects.
In 2018 UNEP, Eurobats and the European Commission adopted an action plan to conserve bat species in the European Union.
