Kerala researchers batting for better understanding of the flying mammal

Kerala researchers batting for better understanding of the flying mammal

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Context:

• The Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment and the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), Peechi, Thrissur, have recently organized training programmes on bat taxonomy, acoustics and biogeography.

More on news:

• Myth, superstition, and zoonotic diseases such COVID-19 and the Nipah virus infection, have created a negative impression of bats.
• The fallout is that these nocturnal, flying mammals are losing their habitat and their numbers are falling.
• Taxonomy forms the foundation of bat research and conservation efforts.
• Proper identification and classification of bat species are essential for implementing effective conservation strategies and understanding their ecological roles
• The campaign originated from the pressing need to address the challenges posed by emerging zoonotic diseases and the ongoing threats faced by bat populations, including habitat loss and the cutting down of fruit bat roosts.
• Under clear-the-air campaign for bats, a team from Kerala is on a mission to train the next generation of bat researchers and to create awareness about the species’ diversity and ecosystem functions.

About Citizen Science:

• Citizen science can be used as a methodology where public volunteers help in collecting and classifying data, improving the scientific community’s capacity.

About National Bat Monitoring Programme:

• The National Bat Monitoring Programme has been running since 1996. 
• It gives us, and the government, the information needed to help inform bat conservation.
• The programme was supported by the Conservation Leadership Programme and Bat Conservation International.
• The fallout is that these nocturnal, flying mammals are losing their habitat and their numbers are falling.

Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) initiatives:

• The first is a long-term study that focuses on the community ecology of bats in Kerala across various vegetational gradients.
• The second is on participatory conservation efforts for Salim Ali’s fruit bat, the only endangered bat species in Kerala, with support from the Conservation Leadership Programme.
• The third is a citizen science programme called the Indian Fruit Bat Project launched in June 2022.
• This project aims to map and conserve the roosting sites of Indian flying fox, one of the world’s largest bats, which is threatened by hunting for meat and cutting down of habitat trees.