If done well, REDD+ projects (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) may not only save carbon rich forests, but also protect embattled biodiversity. But what's the best way to ensure both and carbon and species are preserved under REDD+, a program that proposes to pay nations to keep forests standing?
Upper hill dipterocarp forests in Malaysia are often understudied due to their rough terrain. This study introduces the assemblage of understorey insectivorous bats that are found in upper hills and briefly compares it with a 1995 study conducted in the lowlands of the same forest.
Joann C.L., Christine Fletcher, Hannah M.W. Salim, Abdul Rahman K., Rhett D. Harrison and Matthew D. Potts. 2011. Insectivorous bat assemblage in the hill dipterocarp forest of Temengor Forest Reserve, Peninsular Malaysia. Malayan Nature Journal 63: 569-576.
 Joann et al (2011) Insect bat assemblage Temengor FR Malaysia.pdf | [ ] | 78 Kb |
I am happy to say that our recent publication on the insights into social organization and genetic that can be gained from combining spatially explicit capture data with microsatellite analysis of genetic structure is now available online. The study was conducted at Krau Wildlife Reserve, Malaysia, and we focused on three species of Rhinolophus, and three species of Kerivoula.
Read more: Social organization and genetic structure in forest bats
A constant difficulty faced by biodiversity practitioners is the lack of information available on the distribution of the species they study. This then limits our ability to develop meaningful species conservation plans, particularly for regions such as Southeast Asia.
Read more: Recent distribution data made available for Sarawak bats
Congratulations to the Prince of Songkla University team for a very relevant publication on the effects of rubber plantations on the diversity bats in peninsular Thailand. Phansamai Phommexay used acoustic monitoring and trapping to compare the diversity and activity of understorey insectivorous bats in two wildlife sanctuaries with that of nearby monoculture rubber plantations.