In the Vineyards, Batman Works all night in silence

By Nathalie Baylaucq 3.08.2025

A funded program for sustainable viticulture in the Côtes du Rhône

(July 2025). In the vineyards of Vaucluse, shadowy allies work every night to protect the harvests and ecological balance: bats.

Often unseen, these small nocturnal mammals play a key role in the natural regulation of vineyard pests. In April 2025, the General Union of Côtes du Rhône Winemakers launched an ambitious bat conservation program, funded by the PACA Green Fund and the National Rhône Company. The goal: to strengthen biodiversity, protect crops, and promote sustainable viticulture… at no cost to the winemakers.

Here’s why it’s urgent to save bats in the vineyards.

1. Valuable natural helpers for winemakers

A single bat can consume the equivalent of its weight in insects each night, including the notorious grape berry moth larva, the Eudemis moth caterpillar. This pest causes significant annual losses in vineyards. By naturally regulating these populations, bats help winemakers reduce the use of chemical inputs.

2. A zero-cost program for estates

All improvements—ecological assessments, hedge planting, installation of bat boxes, soil studies—are fully funded. Winemakers do not have to pay anything. This financial support allows broad participation without economic barriers.

3. Concrete action for the environment

By protecting bats, this program benefits the entire vineyard ecosystem: maintaining fallow land, floral diversity, restoration of hedges and small structures. These habitats support many species, strengthen soil resilience, and limit ecological imbalances.

4. A strong signal for wine quality

Bats are bioindicators: their presence reveals a healthy environment, minimally disturbed by light or chemical pollution. Integrating their conservation into viticultural practices enhances the environmental quality of vineyards, consistent with certifications (organic, HVE, etc.) and consumer expectations.

5. A collective and territorial approach

The project is based on strong cooperation between winemakers, naturalists, and local institutions. It promotes the exchange of experience, skill-building, and the creation of a committed regional biodiversity network. A web-based mapping platform will track actions across the territory.

6. A response to alarming decline

The PACA region is home to 30 of the 35 European bat species, but populations are falling: -43% nationally over 15 years, up to -88% for some species. Habitat loss, landscape urbanization, and widespread pesticide use are the main causes. This program aims to reverse this trend by recreating favorable habitats.

A structured and funded program

Period: April 2025 to December 2028
Area covered: Vaucluse (planned expansion to AuRA and Occitanie)
Funding: PACA Green Fund + National Rhône Company
Key partners: Provence Bat Group, local winemakers, agricultural institutions
Key actions:
- Agro-environmental diagnostics in 60 estates
- Hedge planting (250 m per estate)
- Installation of bat and insectivorous bird boxes
- Dietary studies (guano analysis)
- Agroforestry and pastoral viticulture
- Technical days and high school awareness campaigns

Learn more: www.gcprovence.org

Protecting bats in the vineyards means acting both for nature and for the quality of wines. Thanks to public funding and collective mobilization, the Côtes du Rhône are charting a concrete path toward more sustainable viticulture, where biodiversity regains its full place.

Dont’ drink and drive. Enjoy responsibly.