"This confers a great amount of responsibility upon the authorities in the federal states because spraying plant protection agents from the sky above protected areas can jeopardise the populations of endangered animal species", said Maria Krautzberger, President of the Federal Environment Agency. Insecticides are also hazardous for many species which are not the target of these chemicals: they are directly toxic to butterflies, for instance. Certain species of birds and bats are affected because the missing insects are an essential part of their diet. "Application in protected areas may therefore only be authorised following a nature conservation appraisal. Authorisation must remain the rare exception", added Prof. Beate Jessel, President of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.