IUCN BAT SPECIALIST GROUP

NEWSLETTERVOLUME 2 � ISSUE 1 � June 2016

EDUCATION FOR BAT CONSERVATION

Dear Readers,

It is with great pleasure that we present the second volume of the IUCN Bat Specialist Group Newsletter. Our aim is to inform the BSG community about important bat conservation strategies worldwide.

We hope you enjoy the reading,

Maria Sagot, Editor of the IUCN Bat Specialist Group Newsletter

BSG EDITORIAL BOARD BSGCO-CHAIRS

Prof.Dr.RodrigoMedellínUniversidadNacionalAutónomadeMéxico

MéxicoDF,MéxicoEmail:Medellin@miranda.ecologia.unam.m

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Prof.Dr.TiggaKingstonTexasTechUniversityTexas,UnitedStates

Email:tigga.kingston@ttu.edu

WEBMASTERDr.AllysonWalsh

University of CambridgeCambridge,United Kingdom

Email:drallysonwalsh@gmail.com

EDITORIN-CHIEFProf.Dr.MariaSagot

StateUniversityofNewYorkatOswegoNewYork,UnitedStates

Email:maria.sagot@oswego.edu

AFRICAMs.IroroTanshiTexasTechUniversityTexas,UnitedStates

Email:iroro.tanshi@ttu.edu

EUROPEMs.DanielaHamidović

StateInstituteforNatureProtectionZagreb,Croatia

Email:daniela.hamidovic@dzzp.hr

LATINAMERICAANDTHECARIBBEANMSc.LuisR.VíquezRodríguez

UniversitätUlmUlm,Germany

Email:luisviquez@gmail.com

NORTHAMERICAProf.Dr.WinifredFrick

UniversityofCaliforniaSantaCruzCalifornia,UnitedStatesEmail:wfrick@ucsc.edu

OCEANIADr.ColinO’Donnell

NewZealandDepartmentofConservationWellington,NewZealand

Email:CODONNELL@doc.govt.nz

SOUTHEASTASIADr.FaisalAliAnwaraliKhanUniversitiMalaysiaSarawak

Sarawak,MalaysiaEmail:akfali@frst.unimas.my

CONTENT EDITORIALNEWSReportofEstablishinganIntercessionalWorkingGrouponEducationinUNEP/EUROBATAdvisoryCommitteeAFRICAPuttingbatsonthemapinMalawi-Workingtoconservebatsandbiodiversitythroughappliedresearch,educationandcapacitybuildingEUROPERaisingawarenessfortheconservationofRomanianhorseshoebats

LATINAMERICAEducationandCommunicationforBatConservationinLatinAmericanandtheCaribbean

NORTHAMERICAACommunity-BasedApproachtoBatConservationinBritishColumbia,CanadaOCEANIASavingFiji’sBatsSOUTHEASTASIAThePhilippineBatsConservationProgramme

EDITORIAL ByLauraNavarroAlthough we constantly hear abouteducation as one of the most importanttoolstopreventenvironmentaldegradationandspeciesextinction,andtorethinkfuturescenarios, in Conservation Biology,generation and documentation ofknowledge pertaining to severeenvironmental threats such asfragmentation, habitat degradation andpollution,havebeencarriedoutexclusivelyby scientists. Education is considered thebestsolutiontoourproblems,asitprovidesbetteropportunitiesforfuturegenerations.Today,educationisafundamentalrightforall human beings, allowing acquisition ofknowledge and fulfilment in our lives.However,educationisnotamagicwand.Itis more a process that facilitates learningand enhances virtues, values, beliefs andhabits. Thus, education is a long-termprocess and results are not seenimmediately; although motivation andinterestcanbedetectedatearlystages.Whenitcomestobats,thisprocesshasbeendifferentbecauseithasbeenthescientists,dedicatedtoresearch,thathaveconsiderededucation as one of the most importanttools for chiropteran conservation. Thesescientistshaverecognizedhowessentialitisthat people learn why bats are important.Buttheyhavegonebeyondeducation,theyhave been proactive and have formedmultidisciplinary groups. These scientistshaveactivelyparticipatedinthedesignandimplementation of different educationalstrategies. This has been a greatachievement, if we consider that mostscientists are only dedicated to generatebasic scientific knowledge and do not getinvolved in specific conservation actions,

whilepeoplededicatedtothesocialaspectsofconservationlackthescientificknowledgenecessary to generate successfulconservationstrategies.Twenty-five years ago, thinking that therewerebat conservationprogramswith solidand operational educational components,was a dream. This issue of the IUCN-BSGnewslettershowsthat this isnowpossible.Afterreadingthisissue,youwilllearnaboutagreatdiversityofeducationalexperiencesin bat conservation around the world.Differentcontinentshavedevelopedspecificstrategiesthathaveseektocounteractthenegative human influence on batpopulations. The experiences shared hereare remarkable examples of how, throughsocial organization, bat conservationprojectshaveimprovedthequalityoflifeinmany local communities and haveestablishedsuccessfulconservationplansformultiplebatspecies.Iamnotsure if it isthebatsorthepeopleinterested in them, but what I do know isthatbatsevokepassiontothosewholearnabout them, and that is why there is agrowing interest in protecting them.Although scientific knowledge andeducation are fundamental tools for batconservation, it looks like the passion forbatsisnotlearned,itiscontagious.LauraNavarro is theeducation,communicationandcommunityworkcoordinatorforPCMM(MexicanBatConservation Program) and RELCOM (RedLatinoamericana para la Conservación de losMurciélagos. She has developed education andcommunication strategies for bat education andconservationinLatinAmerica

NEWS ReportofEstablishingan

IntercessionalWorkingGrouponEducationinUNEP/EUROBAT

AdvisoryCommitteeByHosseinZohooriConvenerofIWGonEducationandUNEP/EUROBATSScientificfocalpoint Co-ChairofSCBAT(SouthCoastBatActionTeam,BC,CANADAAssistantprofessorofEnvironmentalSc.Department,NaturalResourcesFaculty,IAU,Arak/IranIntroductionItneedsnoreminderthateducation isthebasisofeverythingandastherequirementfor expertise grows, so does therequirement for education. Manydeveloping countries lack standardeducational methods in relation to bats,especially at the elementary level, and theabsenceissorelyfelt.We have many scientific groups (such asEUROBATS1)thathavefocusedonparticularareasofbatresearchbuttheyareaimedatacademiccommunities.Weneedtoexplaintheresultsofthesestudies inawaythat isaccessible for all people. This is wherewehaveagap.To partly fill this gap, as a scientific focalpoint of the advisory committee ofEUROBATS,Isuggestedtothemthatanew

1EUROBATShavecreatedfortheAgreementontheConservationofPopulationsofEuropeanBatscameintoforcein1994anduntilnowatotalof36outof63rangestateshaveaccededtotheAgreement(someEuropean,southwestAsianandnorthAfricancountries).Nowithas16IntersessionalWorkingGroups(IWG)withactivemembersthattheyare

intersessional working group (IWG) calledEDUCATIONbe added to the list. This newIWG’s mission will include collectingeducationalmethods,cataloguingthem,andpursuing education and improving theknowledgelevelofcountries.YearlyactivityreportsofthisIWGwillbepresentedatthemeeting of the advisory committee. It isworth emphasizing that the main focus ofthis IWG needs to be on education at theelementary level, especially in developingcountrieswheretheneedisgreatest.EducationLevels1. Basic: For children and young adultagegroups.2. Middle: For the young and foramateurenthusiasts.3. Advanced: For students in relevantfieldsandprofessionals.ScopeofOperation1. Basic level: kindergartens,preschools,elementaryandmiddleschools.2. Middle level: high schools, city,publicandconferencehalls.3. Advanced level: universities andcolleges,workshops,museumsandrelevantorganizations.During the 18th EUROBATS AdvisoryCommittee meeting in Heraklion/Greece,basedonmysuggestion,membersagreedto

tryingtoconservebatpopulations.AlookatvariousIWGsofEUROBATSshowsthatallofthemarebasedoneducation,butthiseducationismostlyprofessionalinnature.

NEWS

create a new intercessional working groupentitledEDUCATION.TheaimsofIWGare:1. ToprovideGuidelinesonbateducationprograms and awareness that considerdifferent approaches, efforts andpossibilitiesineducation;

2. To provide training and adequatematerialsforeducators.

Afteroneyear,wehavecollatedreferencesinsomelanguagesandaretryingtoreviewwhat resources we have available andidentifywhatweneedtodevelop.Many countries don’t fall under theEUROBATSmission, so it was good to talkwithDr.TiggaKingston(Co-chairon

BGS/IUCN) about our new IWG and Isuggested the creation of an EducationworkinggroupwithintheIUCNBatSpecialistGroup(BSG).Thiswouldexpandourworkoneducationtoatrulyinternationalaudience,and the BSG could use the IWG onEducation’sexperiences.MethodofImplementationInterested and expert parties across theworld are officially invited to share theirdocumented experienceswith theworkinggroup.Countries can be divided into a number ofgroups according to continent and eachgroup can have a “point group”, whichwould collect and collate the reports andpresent themto theworkinggroup for thefinaldecisions.

NEWS Thegoalhere is tocollect inoneplace theexistingmethods, alongwith ideasonnewmethods, based on existing experiences.Therefore,inadditiontogeneraleducation,pursuing “training for trainers” will beimportant.Of course, this is a generic algorithm andpartsofitthatdon’tfallunderthescopeofoperationscanbeomitted.Wealsoneedtofinalizethisproposalforaction.ConclusionThe education department can study andreview the success rateofeachmethodofeducation for each zone and country, toadvise andandpropose guidelines forBATEDUCATION, and each countrywould thenstandardize its own educational programsbasedonthisplan.Clearly,thisisalongtermplan,butthehopeis for it to revolutionize bat education andawareness.

AFRICA Puttingbatsonthemapin

Malawi-Workingtoconservebatsandbiodiversitythrough

appliedresearch,educationandcapacitybuilding

ByEmmaStoneMalawi is recognized by theInternational Union for theConservationofNature (IUCN)asbeingof key importance to bat conservationinAfrica,duetoitshighspeciesrichness(57 species); corresponding to 30% ofMalawi’s mammalian diversity (Hutsonet al. 2001). However little is knownabout the status, distribution anddiversity of bats and the ecosystemservicestheyprovide.

AfricanBatConservation(ABC)isanon-profit project which aims to conservebat populations in Africa throughapplied conservation research,education and capacity building. Basedin Malawi, we conduct a number ofresearch and conservation projects inpartnership with the University ofBristol UK, the Department of NationalParks and Wildlife Malawi (DNPWM)and Lilongwe Wildlife Trust (LWT). Weaim to use applied conservationresearch to inform conservationmanagement and create awareness to

conserveandsecurebatspopulationsinAfrica.

Based inour researchcamp inLiwondeNational Park, the ABC research teamconsistsof tworesearchassistants,onecommunity outreach officer andnumerousMScstudentsandvolunteers.ABC conducts research on a variety oftopics including bat roosting andforaging behavior, human-wildlifeconflictsandpestcontrol.We are also developing a national batsand biodiversity monitoringprogramme, which will be extendedthroughout the country to ensure longtermmonitoringofbatsandbiodiversityinMalawi.Projectresultswillbeusedtoinform and update IUCN species statusreports, as many of the species inMalawihaveyettobecomprehensivelyassessed.Akeyaspectoftheprojectisincreasingcommunity understanding of bats andbiodiversity and their importance forecosystem services.We are developingcommunity education programmes incollaboration with Lilongwe WildlifeTrust, to dispel myths and raiseawarenessaboutbats.

AFRICA

ABC education activities are beingintegrated into the LWT Eco-SchoolsProgrammewhichwill be implementednationwide within the MalawianNational Curriculum. We are alsoconducting public awareness activitiesto reduce human-bat conflicts and toincrease understanding of theimportance of bats. In collaborationwith the Bat Conservation Trust (UK)and LWT, we are launching a bathelplinetoprovidebatspecificadvicetothepublicwhoexperienceconflictwithbats roosting and/or foraging inbuildings, farms or trees in theircommunities. Through this programmewe aim to reduce the number ofcoloniesbeingdestroyed,causedbythelack of understanding of non-lethalmitigationstrategies.ABCalsoconductstrainingworkshopstobuild local capacity inbat researchandmonitoring techniques including harp-trapping, acoustic surveys,mist nettingand light sampling. Through ourpartnershipwith LilongweUniversity ofNatural Resources (LUANAR), studentsare affiliated to the ABC team to gainexperienceinconservationresearchandbiodiversityconservation.FindoutmoreaboutABCandtheirworkatwww.africanbatconservation.org.

EUROPE RaisingawarenessfortheconservationofRomanian

horseshoebatsbySzilárdBücs1Getting the attention of the sometimesinertpublicisaconstantactivityforthoseinvolved in conservation. Educating newgenerations requires the update of oldmethodsortheinventionofnewones.Keymessagesneedtobeconstantly repeatedandmusthavehighvisibility.Raisingawarenessandengagingthepublicissometimeshardevenincaseofbelovedspecies, like rhinos, lions and gorillas. It’seven harder in case where legends andmisconceptionscloudthejudgmentofthepublic. Bats are highly beneficial to ourplanet,astheyoffersignificantecosystemservices,butseldomisthepublicawareofthese facts. Under such circumstances itcomes as no surprise that bats are oftenmetwithunfoundedaggression,withcasesof intentional destructionof colonies androosts. The positive attitude of mediaoutlets is ephemeral. All this results in adistorted view about bats, and cansignificantlyhinderconservationefforts.Although Romania has seen severalcampaigns aimed at raising awarenessaboutbats,muchworkremainstobedoneinordertobetrulyeffective.Tostrengthenthe conservation of horseshoe bats inRomania, we implemented the project“Protecting the horseshoe bats inRomania”intheperiodof2014-2015,witha significant part of our work aimed ateducationandawareness.FinancedbytheConservation Leadership Programme andthe in-kind contribution of the RomanianBat Protection Association, the projectreceivedtheFutureConservationistAwardin2014.

Figure 1. The project proved the constant presence ofMéhely’shorseshoebat(R.mehelyi,left)inSWRomania,andalsodiscoveredoneofthelargestEuropeancoloniesofthegreaterhorseshoebat(R.ferrumequinum,right).Alongsideourscientific(Fig.1)anddurablemanagement objectives, we set out topositively influencetheRomanianpublic'sattituderegardinghorseshoebatsandbatsin general. During these activities wetargeted several interest groups:elementary school children, high schoolteenagers, university students, caverorganizations,butalsothegeneralpublic.Becauseoftheexistenceofseveraltargetgroup types, we used a diverse array ofmethods to communicate our keymessages. Repeated frequentlythroughout the project, our messagesfocused on (1) countering myths andmisconception with facts and attractiveimagery, (2) the benefits of bats forhumanity and (3) simple ways of publiccontributiontobatconservation.Socialmediaisafastwaytocommunicatenewstoaudiences,sothefirststepwastoset up the project’s Facebook page(https://www.facebook.com/clp.rhinolophus/). We regularly share national andworldwide news about bats, especiallyabouttheecosystemservicesprovidedbybats. Every post is written in threelanguages (Romanian, Hungarian, andEnglish) to maximize reach. Besidesfollowing the activities of the project, acore element in the content of theFacebookpageisaphotogallery,entitled“Mustknow”.

EUROPE The gallery contains attractive imagerycombined with basic information aboutbatsandtheirbiology,quantified,easy-to-understand facts about ecosystemservices,aswellasawarenessaboutsimpleways of public contribution to batprotection (Fig. 2). We emphasize thenecessity not to disturb nursery andhibernation colonies and also drawattentiontothecontinentalimportanceofthe Romanian bat fauna. Currently withover 2,500 Likes, the page has aconsiderable follower base, and hasbecome,sinceprojectinception,oneofthemain information resources for bats inRomania.

Fig.2.KeymessagespostedtotheFacebookpageoftheprojectinformedthepublicaboutproperbehaviorwhenmeetingbatsandbatcolonies.One of the most important parts of anyeducationandawarenessworkistalkingtoyoung generations. In this sense, theprojectteamheldpresentationsaboutbatsto children from elementary classes,teenagers from high schools, but also touniversity students.Wecreatedavisuallycaptivating presentation that containedsimple messages and call-to-action.Participants learned about thecontributionofbatstothereproductionofmore than 450 plant species worldwide,includingbananas,mangoesandavocado.Theyalsolearnedthatbyeatingmorethan2,000 mosquitoes per night, even thesmallestRomanianbat(P.pipistrellus)isanobviouscontributortoacarefreelife.Andby theexampleof theworld’s largestbatcolony from Bracken Cave, participantsrealizedtheimmensecontributionofbatsin controlling the size of harmful insect

populations,therebyaidingagricultureandsilviculture.Presentationswereconsciouslyplannedtobeheldduringthe“OtherkindofSchool”open education week of RomanianSchools, in April 2015. After only 15presentations,heldin9cities(15locations)for a total of 305 participants, the feed-back of the audience is overwhelminglypositive (Fig. 3-4). Participants can easilyrecall keymessages, like the fact thatweneed to protect bats, because theycontributetotheproductionofchocolate(throughthepollinationofthecocoatree).Basedonquestionnairesansweredbeforeand after presentations, the public’snegative / wrong answers about batsdecreased from an overall of 27% to 3%after presentations. In some cases, forexampleregardingthequestionabouttheentanglement of bats in our hair, wronganswersdecreased from95% to0%afterpresentations.Incaseswherekeybatroostsarelocatedinthe vicinity of human settlements, or incase of anthropogenic bat roosts insidelocalities,informingthepubliciscrucialforadequate protection of the site and thecolony.Duringourprojectweencounteredtwosuchcases,andinconsequencetwoofour educative presentations can havedirect and immediate results for batconservation.In one case,we talked about bats to theyoung, receptive audience of Limanuvillage (Fig. 3, right), in South-EasternRomania. The village is in the immediatevicinity (<500 m) of the single mostimportantR.mehelyiroostofRomania,theLimanu cave. With only 150 adult R.mehelyi (out of an estimated formerpopulationof5,000bats)thesiteisunderenormous anthropogenic pressure, withfrequentcasesofvandalismandrepeated

EUROPE destructionoftheprotectivecavegate.Tocounterthesefactorsandenhancepassiveprotection, we partnered with the cavecustodian, the GESS group, to raiseawareness in the local community. Basedon the great number of participants (55children of the local elementary school),we positively influenced the most openminded10%ofthepopulationwithourbatpresentation.

Fig. 3. Audiences at two key locations: SascaMontanălocality (left), and Limanu village, (right) during theeducationactivitiesoftheproject.Localcommunitiesarecrucialintheconservationofcolonieslocatedcloseto,orinsidelocalities.Inthesecondcase,wereinforcedconcreteconservationmeasures in SascaMontanălocality with an educative presentationaboutbats(Fig.3,left).InsidethislocalityourteamdiscoveredduringtheprojectthelargestR.ferrumequinumcolonylocatedinan anthropogenic roost from Romania.Withtwoadditionalspeciespresent,theR.ferrumequinumcolony(350bats)makesuponlyhalfofthetotalcolonysize,which iswell above 700 bats. The buildingwas indegradation, with threats of immediateroof collapse, but in frame of a projectfundedbytheEEAgrants,ourassociationreconstructed key elements of thebuilding,withoutdisturbingbats.However,for truly efficient conservation work,awarenessneededtoberaisedinthelocalcommunity.The presentation held at the local school(Fig.3,left),forthesmall,butenthusiasticaudiencetransmittedkeymessagesofbatprotectionandthebenefitsofsuchalargecolony. The long term collaborationagreement signed with the school

administration will ensure that batscontinue to be present in the educativedevelopment of children, who will surelypass on their knowledge to their parentsand friends. In addition, we published ashort,awarenessraisingarticleinthesmalllocal newspaper, emphasizing again theroleofbatsandtheneedofprotection.Inordertoreachalarger,morewidespreadaudience, our team has created aneducativebrochureaboutbats,containingarguments for the necessity of batprotection and details about targethorseshoe bat species of the project.Printedin1.000copies,thebrochurewasdistributedinkeylocationsacrossRomanianotonlyduringpresentations,butalso inprotectedareas,attouristattractionsites,forlocalauthoritiesandcaverassociations.To ensure the permanent nature ofinformationaboutthe importanceofbatsandtoallowit tobesharedwithanyone,we used the most adequate method forinformation sharing, the internet. Wewroteshort,awarenessraisingarticlesforhighlyvisitedwebsites,forexampletothepopular Think Outside the Box(http://totb.ro/) webpage. Articles dealwith legends and misconceptions,adequate behavior in case of human-batcontacts, and the benefits of batsworldwide. Written in Hungarian andRomanian,oureducativearticlesreachedadiverseaudience.

Fig. 4. Left: elementary school children and their self-made bat artwork, after a bat themed presentation inSouth-Eastern Romania. Right: Q&A session after aneducative presentation in a school from Resita city,South-WesternRomania.

EUROPE Anothervisuallyattractiveandhighimpactcommunicationmethodisthedistributionofstickers.Withthepossibilitytodisplayitonpersonalorprofessionalbelongings,keymessages are constantly displayed andshared with no effort. Children areespeciallyhappyaboutstickers.Hence,wecreated a sticker series about the fiveRomanian horseshoe bat species,completedwithasixth,displayingahappybat going to school (Fig. 5). The six partstickerserieswasmainlydistributedduringtheeducativepresentation.

Fig. 5. Six out of the ten sticker types distributedthroughouttheproject.Thetwocoloredstickersarepartoftheseriesabouthorseshoebatspecies,whiletheblack&whitestickerscontainkeymessagesdirectedespeciallyatcavers.Inadditiontothestickersabouthorseshoebatspecies,wewantedtoinfluencealsoaveryspecifictypeofaudience.Caverscanhave direct contributions for batconservation, either by discovering newcolonies, or by consciously changingexploration plans in order to reducedisturbance. Their involvement is crucialfor the protection of key undergroundsites.Besidestheactiveinclusionofcaversintofieldworkactivitiesoftheprojectandteaching them basic bat identificationmethods, we created a series of stickersthat can be displayed directly on caverequipment(Fig.5).Thetwostickerseriesabouthorseshoebatspeciesandadequatecavebehaviorweredistributed inmore than 1.200 copies allover Romania, but also in a targetedmanner, during education activities to

schools,andimportantcaverorganizationsof Romania. The success of the stickerseriesisconfirmedbyconstantlyreceivingnewrequeststoprintanddistributemorecopies.Becauseitisalowcostoutput,weplan to continue printing (and adapting)thesestickersforfutureactivities.Overall, our education and awarenessactivities in frame of the CLP fundedproject contributed in (1) clearing upmisconceptions about bats, (2) capturingthe attention of the public regarding theimportanceofbats inourecosystems, (3)raisingawarenessabouttheneedofurgentbatprotection,and(4)informingthepublicaboutthesimplestwaysofbatprotection.We have reached out to a diverseaudience, the project becoming in only ashort period of time (1 year) one of themost important sources of informationabout Romanian bats. Our printedmaterials (brochure and sticker series)have reached key sites and key interestgroupsinRomania.Presentationsmadeatimportant sites (ex. Sasca Montană,Limanu) complement and strengthenconcrete on-site conservation actions.Throughour education activitieswehavereached the objective to positivelyinfluencepublicopinion regardingbats inRomania.Ingeneral terms, it isof little importancewhat part of the message audiencesremember,as longastheyrememberthenecessity of bat protection and they areprovided with means of contributing toconservation. While older generationstendtorememberthatbatsareessentialinobtaining tequila, younger generationspreferentially remember the relationshipbetween bats and chocolate. Profit-orientedcompaniesinvolvedinagricultureremember the massive effect bats arehaving on pest insects. Whatever the

EUROPE formatorthemethodused,theimportantaspect is that conservation messagesanswer the main question of the public:what’sinitforme?Rewards of education and awarenessactivitiescansometimesbeimmediate,butusuallycomeonlywithtime.Itishoweverofgreatimportancetomaintainaconstantlevelofinvolvementintheeducationofthepublic,evenifnofundingisavailable.Socialmedia and web presence can providesimple and cheap (even free) ways ofconstant communication. If our wellphrasedandplacedmessagesarerepeatedlongenough,batconservationinRomaniawill reach a tipping point, where we nolongerhavetoconvincethesilentmajority,buthavetofindplace inouractivitiesforlatecomersandlaggards.1 e-mail: szilard_bux@yahoo.com,RomanianBatProtectionAssociation

LATIN AMERICA EducationandCommunicationfor

BatConservationinLatinAmericanandtheCaribbean

ByLauraNavarro1

TranslatedbyPriscillaAlpízar20 years ago, education andcommunication activities about bats intheLatinAmericanandCaribbeanregionwerescarceanddifficulttoaccess.Sincethen, the situation has changeddrastically,especiallyinthelastfewyears.RELCOM (Latin American and CaribbeanNetworkforBatConservation)hasplayedakeyroleinthisarea.Today,eachoneofthe20PCMs(BatConservationPrograms)has robust and active components foreducation and communication. This hasbeeninfluencedbythedevelopmentandmaturityofeachgroupandbymotivationand interest to participate in thenetwork’sactivities.One of our challenges has been todevelop group activities. Thus, weplannedtohavesimultaneousactionsforall the countries that conforms thenetwork.OurfirstinitiativewastodeclareOctober 1st as the “Latin American BatDay”.Eachcountryhasaccomplishedverydifferent strategies for its celebration,ranging from theemissionof stamps, totalks, workshops, exhibitions, nocturnalraces, festivals, and bat nights. Thisactivityhasbeensosuccessfulthatithasbeen naturally transforming into“October, Month of the Bats”, withincreasing quality and quantity ofactivities, participation, and diffusionaboutbats.

DuetothecelebrationoftheYearoftheBat in 2011-2012,we organized the themurcimaleta (“Traveling Bat-Bag”)initiative.Itconsistsofalightsuitcasethathas a bat-notebook with white pageslined with a cloth bat called Marcelo,Mexico’s mascot, where the initiativeemerged. Marcelo is very restless and,since he is a migratory bat, he enjoystravelling and wants to meet other batspecies, inviting children from all LatinAmerican to participate in his activities.The “Traveling Bat-Bag” tours aroundRELCOM’scountries,performingdifferenteducational activities. At the end, eachcountry provides a four-page synthesisabout the perception of bats, which iswritteninthebat-notebook.

The “Traveling Bat-Bag” left Mexico onApril20th2011andendeditstourover19Latin American and Caribbean countriesin Ecuador on March 2014. Theexperience has been a success, withparticipationofover5,000children,andithas served as a motivation to createeducational and artistic activitiescelebrating bats in RELCOM affiliatedcountries.This program has been very successful,and it has served as an inspiration forothersimilarprojectsinseveralcountries

LATIN AMERICA themurcimochila(bat-backpack)andthemurcimaleta (bat-suitcase) inMexico, elcofredelosmurciélagos(thebatchest)inBolivia;elmurcicuaderno (bat-notebook)Argentina,elmurcimaletín(bat-backpack)inPuertoRico;murcimaletarestauradora(restorative bat-suitcase) in Venezuela;and murcimochila (bat-backpack) inColombia.

Several countries have created storiesandcharacters,whichhavestrengthenedaffective bonds and encouragedimagination.Reports and photographs about theactivitieshavebeenuploaded in thebatblog(http://reddemurcielagos.blogspot.mx),allowing to share the pride we havebecauseofourgreatbatdiversity.Tothisdaythebloghasover30,000visits.Thishasbeenanexperiencethatallowsusto tightenbondsbetweenthenetwork’smembers, and we have developedactivities that promote a sense ofbelonging and the pride to live in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean through theknowledgeofbatspecies.

Ontheotherhand,eachcountrydesignsand develops its own education andcommunication projects, which becomemoreelaboratedandinvolvemorepeopleyear by year. Between 2011 and 2013,40,000 people participated in activitiesorganizedbythePCMs.Another tool used for communicationthat has evolved and grown in the lastyears is the RELCOM website. This newversiondevelopedbythePCME(Ecuador)has over 280,000 visits, and it containsdiverseinformationaboutthebatsinourregion and segments like the bat of themonth, the iNaturalist.org project,research activities, news and shortcommunications. In the education area,thewebsite has a sectionwhere peoplecanseeeachPCM’smascot,educationalactivities, courses, workshops, and themurciteca(Bat-library),whichhasasetoffreeeducationalbatmaterialsinSpanish,as well as stories, videos, posters, radioemissions,handbooks,etc.,producedbythedifferentPCMs.In April 2010 the first RELCOM bulletinwaspublishedwiththepurposeofsharingeducation,research,andcommunicationactivitiesdone in the region.Since then,the bulletin has been published threetimesperyearand it iswidelyread.ThebulletincanbedirectlydownloadedfromtheRELCOMwebsite.One of the network’s importantobjectives is the exchange, capacitation,andstrengtheningof thePCMs.Thus, acapacitation course-workshop called

LATIN AMERICA

“Education and Communication for BatConservation” has been designed. Theobjective is to create groups of peoplethat are interested in bat conservation,using environmental education andcommunicationtools.The idea is fortheparticipants tobecome familiarizedwithimportant concepts related workingdirectlywithpeopleandbats,aswellasfor them to get acquainted with toolsused to design education andcommunication projects, and to learnhow to design educational activities forbat conservation. To this date, sixworkshops have been organized (ElSalvador, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Brazil,CostaRica,andEcuador),andmorethan150peoplehaveparticipated.Today,wecansaythatbatshaveearneda lot of terrain in the electronic andmassive communicationmedia and thateducationalactivitiesfromthePCMsaremoreandmorefrequent.Wemanagedtoaccomplish successful group activities,such as themurcimaleta. The activitiescelebratingthedayandmonthofthebatare increasing considerably year afteryearinallthecountries.Finally,afreesetof educational material in Spanish isavailable(themurciteca).Thisisallpartofa dream thatwas impossible to glimpse20 years ago, and that today is a realitythatmotivatesustocontinueworkingforbatconservation.

1PCMM Programa para la Conservación de losmurciélagosdeMéxico

NORTH AMERICA ACommunity-BasedApproachto

BatConservationinBritishColumbia,Canada

ByJulietCraig,PurnimaGovindarajuluandCoriLausenOverhalf the20bat species inCanadaareconsidered to be “at risk” due to habitatloss and degradation, intentionalextermination, wind turbines, pollution,climate change andWhite Nose Syndrome(WNS), a devastating disease that isdecimating bat populations in NorthAmerica. Sixteen of the Canadian batspeciesarefoundinBritishColumbia(B.C.),in thefarwestofCanada.BritishColumbiatherefore is themost bat-diverse provincein Canada and shoulders a largeresponsibilityforbatconservation.Currentbarrierstobatconservationincludeageneralsocietalfearofbats,mythsaboutbatsandhealth issues,a lackofawarenessabout theneed forbat conservationandalack of knowledge about appropriate batmanagement in anthropogenic habitatssuch as buildings. From horror movies tohealth warnings, societal attitudes aboutbats are extremely negative. Many peopleview bats as being ugly, scary, nasty littlecreatureswhoareharmfulpests.Aspeoplecontinue to exterminate bats from theirhouses, actively kill bats when they comeacross them (bothactionsare illegalunderthe Wildlife Act of B.C), or inadvertentlydestroy bat roost sites, many bat speciesremain vulnerable to population declines.Education and awareness are critical tochanging attitudes and promoting theconservationofbatspecies.

The B.C. Community Bat Program wasestablishedin2014toaddresstheneedforeducation and community stewardship of

bats focusing on bats in buildings. It is acollaborative project between government(B.C. Ministry of Environment) and anumber of non-governmental stewardshipgroups,fundedbytheHabitatConservationTrust Foundation, Habitat StewardshipProgram, Public Conservation AssistanceFund, Columbia Basin Trust and otherregional partners. This province-wideprogram is modelled after the KootenayCommunity Bat Project, the firstcommunity-based bat program in Canadathat was established in south-eastern B.C.in 2004. The goals of B.C. Community BatProgram are to: 1) raise awareness aboutbatconservationissuesinBC;2)encourageresidents with bats in buildings or otheranthropogenic structures to report andsteward their roost sites; 3) increasesummerbat roostinghabitat by promotingbat-housebuildingand installation; and,4)establish a citizen-science program tomonitorbatpopulations.1. GeneralOutreachandEducationTheB.C.CommunityBatProgramoutreach,which is carried out through newspaperarticles, website (www.bcbats.ca),Facebook page, and radio interviews, hasreached thousands of residents in B.C.

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promoting awareness about bats and theimportance of conservation. Communitypresentations include information aboutbat biology and guidance on how privatecitizens can promote bat conservation.Displayboothsatcommunityeventssuchasfall fairs and markets feature hands-onitems,handouts,andchildren’sactivities.School programs are extremely popular,particularly in October when Halloween isapproaching. For example, the KootenayCommunity Bat Project had so manyrequests that in order to keep up withdemand, additional Bat Ambassadors hadto be trained. Twenty talented andenthusiastic educators attended anEducator Workshop on Bats, a two daytraining program where educators cametogethertolearnaboutbats,shareteachingtechniques, and develop program ideas.Activities during the workshop includedmist-netting, presentations, an emergencecount,andavarietyofgamesandteachingactivities. Now these trained educatorshave become “Bat Ambassadors” anddeliver school programs in theircommunities, reaching hundreds of schoolchildreneveryyear.

2. GotBats?LandownerOutreachAlthoughgeneraloutreachandeducationisextremely important, community-basedsocial marketing (www.cbsm.com)advocates that specific audiences betargetedtopromotebehaviourchangethatwillmake themost significant contributionto achieving the outreach goal of anyproject. With the decline in natural roostfeatures inCanada,suchas largetreesandrock structures, several bat species ofconservation concern, including the LittleBrown Myotis and Townsend’s Big-earedBat,haveadaptedtousingattics,chimneys,walls and siding of houses, barns, andsheds.Asa result,private landownersmayhave important maternity colonies of batsroosting on their property. Therefore, thetarget audiences for our community-basedbat conservation program includelandowners who have bats roosting in abuilding on their property, pest controlcompanies,buildersandroofers.Through our outreach programs describedin the previous section, landowners areasked to report their roost sitesbyusingatoll-free telephone number or the onlinereportingsystem.Inthetwoyearssincetheestablishmentof theprogram,hundredsofphonecallsandemailshavebeenreceived.Landowners are encouraged to eitherprotect their roost site or use bat friendlyexclusion methods and installation ofalternative roost structures. They areprovided with information on appropriatebat exclusion techniques consideringfactors suchas the typeof roost site, timeof year, and the particular issues they arehavingwithbats.Where possible, a biologist will visit theproperty to provide on-site guidance,identify the bat species present, distribute

NORTH AMERICA booklets, and provide specific suggestionsfor roost conservation and enhancement.One-on-one landowner contact hasproventobeextremelyeffectivesince landownersare provided with the opportunity to askquestionsandaregivenspecificinformationfor their property. In many cases, theirattitudeshiftsduringthevisitsfromoneoffearormisunderstandingtooneofconcernaboutthebats.Notonlydoesbeingonsitefurtherpromoteeducationandawareness,it allows the collection of inventoryinformation to identify large maternitycoloniesofbatsinB.C.Eightspeciesofbatshave been identified within buildingstructures including many species at risk.Sinceaccess tobats isnotalwayspossible,DNA analysis of guano pellets and/oracousticmonitoring isalsousedtoconfirmthespecies.The B.C. Community Bat Program alsotargetsotherimportantaudiencesincludingpest control companies, builders androofers.Theseprofessionalsmayencounterbats during their work activities and canplay an important role in bat conservationbynotonlyusingbat-safepracticesintheirwork, but also by educating landownerswho have bats on their property.Documents such as theBCCommunity BatProgram: Frequently Asked Questions andSeven Steps toManaging Bats in Buildingshave been developed for both landownersandprofessionals.TheB.C.CommunityBatProgram delivered a presentation andhosted a display booth at the annual B.C.pest management conference in 2015. Inthewinter, the focus ison the roofingandbuilding industries to develop guidelinesand information about what to do if batsare encountered in a building and how tosafely and effectively carry out an evictionwhenrequired.

Bat-houseInstallationSince natural roosting habitat has declinedinhuman-alteredenvironments(lossofoldtrees, disturbance to caves and creviceenvironments,disturbancetoroostsitesbylight and noise, etc.), bat-houses mayprovidealternativesummerroostsites.Bat-

house building workshops are regularlyoffered throughout the province whereparticipants come armed with a drill andstaplegunbutalloftheothersuppliesandmaterialsarepre-cutandprepared.Thisfunfamily-orientedactivityactivelyengagesthegeneral public inbat stewardship. TheB.C.CommunityBatProgramhasalsopartneredwith high school students, woodworkingshops, and incarceration facilities to buildbat-houses that can be donated tolandowners. As the best bat house designforB.C.isnotyetknownandtheremightbe

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preference, where possible, several bat-housedesignsareinstalledatthesamesitetotestdifferencesinoccupancyrates.CitizenScienceAs well as focusing on the reporting,protection and enhancement of bat roostsites,theB.C.CommunityBatProgramalsopromotes monitoring. In B.C., there iscurrentlyverylittlebaselinedataonthesizeor trends of bat populations. This lack ofinformation has stymied the ability tounderstand bat population dynamics inresponsetoemergingandongoingthreats,and the cumulative impact of multiplethreats.TheB.C.CommunityBatprogram initiatedBatWatch,anAnnualBatCountprogramtoengage citizen scientists in monitoring batpopulationsovertime.Onceabatroostsiteis identified, participants conductemergence counts every year for aminimumof five years to estimate relativepopulationsizeandchangesovertime.Twocountsareconductedinearlysummerpriorto pups being volant, and two areconducted once the pups are flying in latesummer.Thesepopulationdatawillprovide

the baseline for assessing White NoseSyndrome impacts, should the diseasearrive inB.C. in5 to10yearsaspredicted.Thespeciesthatwillbecountedmostoftenin the Citizen Science “BatWatch” are theLittleBrownMyotis andYumaMyotis, twospeciesthatarepredictedtosufferdeclineswith the emergence of White NoseSyndrome.BatsandCaversprograminBCIn addition to the BC Community Batprogram that targets private landowners,thethreatofWhiteNoseSyndromehasledtoaspecializedprogramaimedatrecruitingcavers to help findwhere bats overwinter.BatCaver (http://www.batcaver.org/) is aWildlife Conservation Society Canadaprogram, funded in part by EnvironmentCanadaandTDFriendsoftheEnvironment,engagingcaversinbatconservation.Giventhata largepercentageofourwesternbatspecies are thought to hibernate

underground during winter, the seasonwhen bats are killed by White NoseSyndrome, locatingcavesandmineswherebats roost may be critical in diseasesurveillance and implementation ofpotential strategies for lessening themortality rate associated with the diseasewhen it arrives in BC. The BatCaverProgram networks with cavers to have

NORTH AMERICA them deploy specialized equipmentunderground that detects bat ultrasound;promotes the use of decontaminationprotocols to prevent the inadvertentintroduction of White Nose Syndrome inB.C.; and educates cavers to preventdisturbancetoroostingbatsandprotectingbathabitatwherepossible.

FormoreinformationontheBCCommunityBat Program, visit www.bcbats.ca orcontactinfo@bcbats.ca.

OCEANIA SavingFiji’sBats

ByNuniaThomasLocated in the South Pacific, the Fijiarchipelago is home to six species of bats:three fruitbats, two insectivorousandonenectarivorous. The latter three are cavedwelling.BatsaretheonlynativemammalsinFiji.Outof the six species, five are threatened orcriticallyendangered.Priorto2008,workonFiji’sbatswasscarceandprimarilyresearchbased,assessingtheirpresence/absenceon30outoftheover300Fiji islands. Some of the research alsocollected specimens for museums.Conservation actions were recommendedbut itwasn’tuntil2008thatsomeofthesebecame a reality for Fiji’s bats. AnnetteScanlon (University of South Australia)beganherresearchintoFiji’sbatsandtheirrelationshipwithforesthealthinFijiin2008,openingupanopportunitytolocallyaddressissuesrelatingtoFiji’sbats.In2009–justbeforethecelebrationoftheInternationalYearofBiodiversity,NatureFiji-MareqetiViti - Fiji’s only local membershipbasedorganization,working solely forFiji’sbiodiversity, rediscovered thearchipelago’sonly endemicmammal – one of the rarestanimals in the world – the CriticallyEndangered Fijian Flying Fox, Mirimiriacrodonta, through collaborative researcheffortwiththeUniversityofSouthAustralia,University of the South Pacific, NationalTrust of Fiji and the Critical EcosystemsPartnership Fund. After 40 days in harshcloudforestconditions,Scanloncapturedapregnant female, and for the first time in

history, released the captured individualbackintothewild!

ThereislittleknownaboutthisFiji’sendemicmammal. The only known records of thisspecieswereattheBritishMuseumin1978andattheAustralianMuseumin1990.In the same year, 2009, NatureFiji-MareqetiViti completed a thorough surveyofbatcavesonFiji’sbiodiversityhotspotandthird largest island–Taveuni. Thiswas theonlysecondfollowuptoGilbert’smappingofthelimestoneandvolcaniccavesoftheFijiislands(Gilbert1984).Progresssince2009Since2009,NatureFiji-MareqetiVitihasbeenabletoraiseawarenessonFiji’sbatspeciesthrough strategic fund-raising, stakeholder

OCEANIA engagement and on the ground specieswork:• Caveinventoryforcave-dwellingbatson

five islands were documented in threemonths with reported ten active cavesites.

• With the Australia Tropical ResearchFoundation, discovered anddocumented an active cave of theVulnerable Fiji BlossomBat (Notopterismacdonaldi)onVitiLevu,addingtothefiveknownactivecavesofthisspeciesontheisland.

• Discovered and documented an activecaveoftheCriticallyEndangeredPacificSheath-tail Bat (Emballonurasemicaudata)onOvalau,adding to twoknownsitesofthisspeciesontheisland.

• Production of awareness materials iniTaukei (indigenous Fijian) and EnglishlanguagesonthesixspeciesofFijianbatsaswellascaveguidelineswhenvisitingactivebatcaves.

• Species recoveryplan for the Fiji FlyingFox.

• With Bat Conservation International,University of the South Pacific,conducted cave mapping, populationmonitoring, landownerand stakeholderengagement for Fiji’s only knownpopulation of theEndangeredFiji free-tailedbat,Tadaridabregullae.

FurtheractionneededInterested conservation organizationsworking with government and localcommunitiestobetterunderstandandsaveFiji’s batshavededicated2016as the yearforFiji’sbats.Fiji’s bat caves all occur outside of Fiji’sproposedterrestrialprotectedareas

Figure 1: An adult female free-tailed bat (Tadaridabregullae).Photographsource:Scanlon2009.

network;andcontinuetofacethreatssuchas predation by introducedpredators (catsandrats),unsustainableharvestingby localcommunities, road construction, logging(around the vicinity of the caves) andirresponsiblehumanvisitation.BasedonthetechnicalcapacityinFiji,belowaresomeoftheimmediateneedsidentifiedtohelpsaveFiji’sbats:• TrainingtodevelopbatexpertiseinFiji.• Continuousmonitoring,discoveringnew

sites, assessing population size anddocumentation of findings. Availabledatawillhelpresearchersapplyeffectiveconservationactions.

• Funding to train students in dedicatedresearchonbatsecology,habitats,dietand foraging habits, especiallymicrobats.

• Protectionofcavesitesfromcontinuousdisturbanceincludingfencing.

• Engaging landowners with awarenessprogram.

NatureFiji-MareqetiViti, Bat ConservationInternational and their stakeholders areconfidentthatwithcollaborativeeffort,wecanmakeourlandscapesbetterforourbats,and therefore save our forests and the

OCEANIA ecosystem services theyprovide. Fiji’s batsare unique and special, and we hope thatthrough our collaborative efforts, we caninspire more positive responses andattitudestowardsourbats.

SOUTHEAST ASIA ThePhilippineBatsConservation

ProgrammeByLisaJ.Paguntalan1

PhilippinesBiodiversityConservationProgrammePhilippinesBiodiversityConservationFoundationInc.The Philippines supports an impressivediversityofbats. In themost recent review,Heaneyet al. (2010; 2015) list a total of 78speciesofwhich28(dependingontaxonomicarrangement)orc.35%areendemic.Thefruitbats (Pteropodidae) are especially wellrepresented,withatleast25species,ofwhich18 (72%) are endemic. This includes threerecently discovered species from thePhilippines; Mindoro striped-face fruit batStyloctenium mindorensis, Mindoro PallidflyingfoxDesmalopexmicroleucopterusandRickart’s Dayak fruit bat Dayacopterusrickarti, the latter being easily the smallestmemberofthisgenus.Unfortunately,bothofthe latterspeciesarealreadythreatened,asindeedaremostoftheotherPhilippinefruitbats-eightofwhichareincludedintheIUCN(2015)RedListand9inthePhilippineListofThreatenedSpecies(DENR2004).Increasing interest and concern about thedecline ofmany Philippine fruit bats, whichalsoplayavital roleaspollinatorsand seeddispersers, was prompted by the results ofvarious field studies and status surveysconducted by local and foreign biologists inthe late 1980s up to present, leading to anumber of separate conservation initiatives.The Philippines Bats ConservationProgramme had undertaken wide-rangingand integrated research and conservationstrategies. Many of these activities wereconducted by or in collaboration withDepartmentofEnvironmentandNatural

ThePhilippinesTube-nosedFruitBat(Nyctimenerabori)isanendemicandendangeredspeciesof fruitbat foundonly intheislandsofNegros,CebuandSibuyanIsland.Resources, local partners e.g. Negros ForestEcological Foundation Inc. (NFEFI), MindoroBiodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc.,Cebu Technological University – Argaocampus, Mindanao State University – IliganInstituteof Technology,PalawanCouncil forSustainable Development Staff, MambukalResortNegrosOccidental,LearCorporation–Cebu, Grassroots Travel, Boracay PropertyHoldings Inc., local government units andprivateindividuals.CountingBatsThePhilippineBatsConservationProgrammedocumentsandvalidatesknownandreportedflying fox roosts in the country. WorkingcloselywithBiodiversityManagementBureauof the Department of Environment andNaturalResources(DENR),DENRregional

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offices, Palawan Council for SustainableDevelopmentStaff(PCSDS),localgovernmentunits and local communities, roosting siteswere visited, presence of flying fox specieswereverifiedandroostingpopulationswereestimated. A total of 99 roosting siteswerereportedofwhich23werevisited.Onlyfourroosting sites in Visayas have Golden-crownedflyingfox.Informationgeneratedwasused in lobbyingforroostsiteprotection,priorityroostingsitesfor conservation, monitoring and educationandawarenessactivitiesaswellasinlobbyingfortheinclusionofflyingfoxmonitoringandconservation programme as an annualprogramofDENR.EstablishingFlyingFoxRoostsSanctuaryMambukalResort,NegrosIsland-MambukalResortisoneofthefewsuccessfullymanagedgovernmentresortinthePhilippines.Itishostto at least four species of flying foxesincludingtheendangeredPhilippineEndemicGolden-crownedflyingfox,Acerodonjubatusand the Little Golden-mantled flying fox,Pteropus pumilus. The endemic Philippinetube-nosed fruit bat, Nyctimene rabori wasalso recorded in thearea.On20 June2015,Mambukal Resort was formally declared as

FlyingFox/BatSanctuaryduring theopeningofMudpackFestival.The commitment of Mambukal Resort toprotect the roosting colony will greatlybenefit the roostingpopulationsand in turnthemanyspeciesoftreesinourforestswithflowersdependentonbatsforpollinationandseedsfordispersal.AgreatdayforflyingfoxesandtheforestsofNegrosIslandRegion!DalagueteRoostSanctuary,CebuIsland-Theflying fox roosting site inDalaguete town inCebu Island falls just outside the declaredLocalConservationArea/WildlifeSanctuary.The Municipality of Dalaguete bought thelandwheretheflyingfoxroostswas locatedand included this as part of the LocalConservation Area. This initiative wassupportedbyFilipinosforFlyingFoxesprojectof PBCFI and DENR with support from BatConservation International, Chester Zoo andLearCorporation.IntegratingFlyingFoxRoostsProtectionandMonitoringattheNationalLevelThe Philippine Government through theBiodiversity Management Bureau ofDepartment of Environment and NaturalResourcesrecognizestheimportanceofflyingfoxes in the Philippines. On 18 – 20 August2015, BMB worked with PhilippinesBiodiversityConservationFoundationInc.andDr.TammyMildenstein-Steir indevelopinganational flying fox conservation andmanagementplan.TheBureaualsoseekstheintegration of flying fox conservation in theregularconservationworkplansoftheDENRregionalfieldoffices.A total of 30 technical personnel from theConservationandDevelopmentDivision/UnitofDENRRegionaland/orFieldOfficesandtwo

SOUTHEAST ASIA (2) participants from the Ecology Center ofSubic Bay Management Authority (SBMA)participated in the 3-day training-workshop.The significant outcome of the activityincludes the following: 1) We identified 99flying fox roosting sites in the Philippineswhere 26% of the sites had been surveyedwith population estimates; 32% of theidentifiedroostingsitesare locatedeither inProtectedAreas (e.g.NorthernSierraMadreNaturalPark,SagayMarineReserve,NorthernNegros Natural Park) or areas managed bylocal government units (e.g. Bat Island inHonda Bay; Mambukal Resort; Tungawon,Zamboanga; Dalaguete Bird and batSanctuary,Cebu),orspecialbodies(i.e.Subicroost by SBMA and Bacon-Manito Roost byEDCGeothermalPowerPlant).Afewsitesarewithin privately owned areas (e.g. Yapak,Boracay Island, HermanaMayor Island, andKalamansig, SultanKudarat). 2)WeupdatedthedistributionmapofflyingfoxroostsinthePhilippines.3)WedevelopedthePhilippinesFlying Fox action plan as an input to thePhilippines Biodiversity Strategy and ActionPlan (PBSAP) particularly under the“Preventing Species Extinction”where flyingfoxes were identified as among the priorityspecies.

BatEducationandAwarenessCampaignsThe Bat Education and Awarenessprogramme implements diverse educationactivities (e.g. bat camps, mobile photoexhibits). We integrate bat awarenessactivitiesduringconservationevents,suchasthe Wildlife Month, and the EnvironmentWeek.Theseeventshavebeenconductedinareaswiththreatened,endemicandroostingbat colonies, particularly in the islands ofCebu, Negros, Mindanao, Bohol, Siquijor,PolilloIslandsandCalamianGroupofIslands.We focus on the ecological importance of

bats, their conservation status, batidentificationandBat101.

Support for undergraduate bat researchstudies had also been undertaken with atleast10studentpapersonPhilippinebatshadbeenconductedandpresentedintheannualsymposium of the Wildlife ConservationSocietyofthePhilippines-nowasBiodiversityConservationSocietyofthePhilippines.

This is a rescued Large Flying FoxPteropus vampyrus fromMambukal resort in 2012. This 3-4 years old flying fox isrecoveringforitsinjuriestogetherwithotherrescuedflyingfoxspecies.Future priorities for the Philippine BatConservation Programme include: 1) re-organisation and re-development of theprogramme, including formulation of newagreements (MOAs) with DENR, preferablyinvolving several local and internationalpartners willing and able to provide longer-termtechnicalandfinancialassistance.2)re-developmentandexpansionofresearchand

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The Mindoro striped-faced fruit bat Stylocteniummindorensis was discovered in 2006 in Mt Siburan andSablayanOccidentalMindoro.education projects, especially for theEndangered Golden flying fox, A. jubatus,Vulnerable Palawan flying fox, A. leucotis,CriticallyendangeredPhilippineBare-backedfruit bat, Dobsonia chapmani, EndangeredPhilippine tube-nosed fruit bat, Nyctimenerabori,andDatadeficientGray-headedflyingfox, Pteropus speciosus. 3) Expansion ofcommunity-based conservation education,awareness and protection (incl. anti-poaching) campaigns,with the assistance ofrelevant local authorities, academicinstitutions and media. 4) Coordination ofcurrent and proposed field research andstatus surveys in Panay,Mindanao,Dinagat,Palawan, Mindoro, South Luzon, Negros,Cebuandothermostcriticalareas,inlighttoenhancefutureprotectionofknownsurvivingpopulationsandhabitatsintheseregions.5)

Adopting the Philippine National Flying FoxActionPlan.Financial and other assistance in theimplementationofthisProgrammehasbeenreceived from: Save Our Species ofInternational Union for Conservation ofNature through Bat ConservationInternational (BCI); Chester Zoo; DisneyConservation Fund; Department ofEnvironment and Natural Resources –Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB);ZoologicalSocietyfortheConservationofSpeciesandPopulations(ZGAP,Germany);ProvincialgovernmentofNegrosOccidental;localgovernmentunitsincludingDalagueteinCebu;E.B.Magalona,SilayCityandSagayCityin Negros Occidental; Mambukal Resort inMurcia; Boracay Property Holdings Inc.(BPHI).1PhilippinesBiodiversityConservationProgrammePhilippinesBiodiversityConservationFoundationInc.