Increasing knowledge about ecosystem services is key to protecting bats and supporting communities in North Sumatra, Indonesia, according to a recent study published in the journal. biodiversityResearchers questioned members of local communities around the Batant Tolu ecosystem to understand their perceptions of bat populations.

The researchers found that local communities had limited knowledge of the positive ecosystem services provided by bats, and bats were seen primarily as a source of meat.

Durian is one of a group of crops grown in agroforestry systems and is essential to local livelihoods, along with other crops such as rubber and sugar palm. Bats play an important role in pollinating crops. However, awareness among farmers was low.

Many farmers knew bats were on their farms but lacked understanding of the service, Hamid Arrum Harahap, lead author of the study and a PhD candidate at Andalas University, said in an interview. . “There are some misunderstandings,” he said. “They think bats don’t help with the pollination process. In fact, [some] It is believed to cause durian pollination failure. “

The survey found that the majority of over 100 respondents were unaware that bats pollinated their crops, and many were unaware that bat loss could affect their crops.

“One of the disturbing findings is that 1 in 7 farmers have negative behavior towards bats,” Arrum said. Farmers have reported hunting and consuming bats as a remedy for asthma, and using them as traditional medicine. Bats were also sold at the local market. But Arram found that people who traditionally believed in the “sacred grove” were less likely to hunt bats.

3 species — large flying foxes (Pteropus vampirus), cave honey bats (Eonycteris spelaea) and Dayak Fruit Bat (Dicopterus spadiceus) — one of the most frequently hunted in the region and considered the least concerned or nearly endangered. All three species are declining across their range, primarily due to habitat loss.

Arrum’s research was conducted in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, which heightens his concerns about local consumption of bats. “[I]Awareness of the dangers of wildlife consumption increased during the first few years of the pandemic,” he said. They are also hunted.”

He said, “I see an urgent need for cooperation between the health and forestry sectors to educate communities about the dangers of bat consumption.”

Based on these findings, Alam said educational initiatives by government agencies and conservation groups need to be expanded to local communities to increase knowledge about the ecosystem services provided by bats. By protecting bat populations and reducing pressure on them, we can benefit durian farmers and help local communities.

“One of the key solutions to this problem is the importance of community involvement,” he said. “In addition to educating the local community, we can also learn from them about their interactions with bats.”

Banner: Malayan flying foxes. Despite its name, it is actually a bat. Image by Andrea Janda via Flickr (CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0).

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