Under the Biodiversity Assessment Method (BAM), some threatened bats or their breeding habitat are assessed as species credit species (i.e. their present cannot be predicted by vegetation or landscape features) and need targeted on ground surveys at an appropriate time to determine the likelihood that they'll be found at a development, biocertification or biodiversity stewardship site. The guide should be read with the BAM.
Following this guide is not mandatory. However, proposals that fail to meet the guide due to efficiency, cost or validity will need to provide an evidence-based reason for a different survey approach (e.g. a peer-reviewed scientific paper, a published guideline or an expert report).