South East Asian bats: critical but vulnerable components of regional biodiversity
With over 320 species, bats are a critical component of South East Asia’s biodiversity. Not only do they constitute 30% of the region’s mammal species, but as pollinators, seed dispersers and agents of pest they provide critical economic and ecological ecosystem services. Tragically, heavy deforestation in progress in South East Asia is expected to lead to the extinction of many bat taxa, with upper-bound estimates of regional species losses exceeding 40% and global extirpation anticipated for at least 23% of South East Asia’s bat fauna by the end of this century. Moreover, unregulated hunting of several species, most notably the plant-visiting flying foxes, for food and traditional medicine has led to dramatic population declines throughout the region.
Conservation research, capacity building and outreach activities are urgently if we are to reduce the impact of forest loss and hunting on this unique fauna, and there are a growing number of regional scientists and international collaborators dedicated to bat research and conservation in the region. Because of the taxonomic continuity of South East Asian bats, researchers share many common objectives and conservation issues yet to date there has been no mechanism for exchange of ideas and techniques, nor for discussion, synthesis and implementation of region-wide research and conservation objectives.
The Southeast Asian Bat Conservation Research Unit (SEABCRU)
To this end, the South East Asian Bat Conservation Research Unit (SEABCRU) was established in May 2007 to provide an organizational framework to coordinate and implement activities that promote the conservation of South East Asia’s diverse but threatened bat fauna. The SEABCRU was launched at the First International South East Asian Bat Conference, May 7-10 2007, Phuket, Thailand.
The SEABCRU primary objectives are to:
- Implement long-term conservation research
- Enhance local capacity to conduct the research
- Promote the development and implementation of outreach programs
