Cave-dwelling bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) and conservation concerns in South central Mindanao, Philippines

Abstract

<p>The stable microclimate in caves provides a relatively constant habitat for many bat species in the Philippines, but human encroachment continues to disrupt this habitat and imperil many of the species roosting in the caves. In South central Mindanao, the diversity and conservation status of cave bats remain undocumented and unexplored. We employed mist-netting to capture bats from five different caves within the town of Kabacan, northern Cotabato, Philippines. A total of 14 bat species were identified including the Philippine endemics <em>Hipposideros pygmaeus </em>and <em>Ptenochirus jagori </em>and the threatened <em>Megaerops wetmorei. </em>However, despite the declining conservation status of the bats, local disturbance such as bat hunting for bush meat and unregulated tourism are currently taking place in the caves. Large species such as <em>Eonycteris spelaea </em>and <em>Rousettus amplexicaudatus </em>are killed almost every day for food and trade. Therefore, the high species richness, and the presence of endemic and threatened species coupled with the occurrence of anthropogenic disturbances in caves suggests the need for an urgent and effective conservation intervention involving the local government and public community.</p><div> </div>

Assemblage and Species Threshold Responses to Environmental and Disturbance Gradients Shape Bat Diversity in Disturbed Cave Landscapes

“…Our finding that larger-bodied species occurred more frequently and in greater abundance in caves with greater hunting pressure seems counter-intuitive, but we suspect this instead reflects active selection by hunters for caves occupied by two of the heaviest species in our study, R. amplexicaudatus and E. spelaea. Hunter preference for both species has been documented in other regions of the Philippines, including Negros [55] and Mindanao islands [56]. Hunting of bats in the Philippines is widespread, with roughly a third of all bat species hunted despite legal protection under the Philippine Wildlife Act and Philippine Cave Management Act [24].…”

Biodiversity loss and COVID-19 pandemic: The role of bats in the origin and the spreading of the disease

“…Most hunters kill only a few bats per trip, but those operating at roost sites take hundreds in a single hunt [ 170 ]. In the country, bats are mostly hunted for food, but bats’ caves are also frequently visited for guano extraction [ 171 , 172 ]. Locals and some indigenous groups usually hunt larger species of bats such as fruit and large hipposiderids bats for protein source and trade.…”

Abundance and Species Composition of Cave Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in Selected Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) of Central Visayas, Philippines

“…They are also well-known for their role as pollinators (Hodgkison et al, 2003) and therefore play a significant role in forest ecology and also in agroforestry. Bats may also roost in groups inside caves (Sedlock et al, 2014;Tanalgo & Tabora, 2015) and their guano deposits have been collected for use as fertilizers (Sothearen et al, 2014).…”

“…A number of studies have been done on the cave roosting bats in the Philipines. Tanalgo & Tabora (2015) documented 14 bat species in the South central Mindanao. In Panay Island, Mould (2012) found 12 bat species in 19 out of the 21 caves surveyed.…”