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In present survey carried out in the South-West region of Maharashtra, India, 11 bat species were reported from the study area. The area comprised four districts of Maharashtra namely Pune, Satara, Solapur and Osmanabad. It was also found that all the bat species mentioned in this paper are much more widely distributed than was previously recorded...
Citations
... Mahaweli Development scheme and subsequent expansion of human settlements, and agricultural intensification have resulted in tremendous habitat transformations in the landscape structure in Maduru-Oya area (Ekayanake 1987;Manatunge et al. 2008). Such socioeconomic schemes resulted in several novel anthropogenic disturbances, such as felling large trees for lumber, burning grasslands for livestock, reduced tree cover, lack of habitat connectivity, and agricultural expansion which are detrimental for local bat fauna (Furey et al. 2010;Gaikwad et al. 2012;Mickleburgh et al. 2002;Mildenstein et al. 2005). Moreover, slash-and-burn farming destroys lower vegetation cover and fire consumes snags, tree cavities, and cluttered foraging grounds (Hutson et al. 2001;Mickleburgh et al. 2002). ...
In Sri Lanka, there are 31 species of bats distributed from lowlands to mountains. To document bat diversity and their habitat associations, 58 roosting sites in Maduru-Oya National Park periphery were surveyed. Fifteen bat species were recorded occupying 16 different roosting sites in this area. Among all the species recorded, Rhinolophusrouxii was the most abundant species per roosting site whereas Kerivoulapicta was the least abundant. A road-kill specimen similar to genus Phoniscus was found during the survey, a genus so far only documented in Southeast Asia and Australasia. Although our study area provided habitats for a diverse chiropteran community, the colony size per roost was remarkably low. Although our study area is supposedly a part of the park’s buffer zone, many anthropogenic activities are threatening the bat community: felling large trees, slash-and-burn agriculture, excessive use of agrochemicals, vengeful killing, and subsidized predation. We strongly recommend adoption of wildlife-friendly sustainable land management practices in the buffer zone such as forest gardening, agroforestry (alley cropping, mixed-cropping), and integrated farming. Bat conservation in this region should take a landscape-scale conservation approach which includes Maduru-Oya National Park and other surrounding protected areas into a regional conservation network. Extents of undisturbed wilderness are dramatically declining in Sri Lanka; thus, future conservation efforts must be retrofitted into anthropocentric multiuse landscapes and novel ecosystems like areas surrounding Maduru-Oya National Park.
... Bats currently face tremendous threats due to various anthropogenic causes such as habitat loss and hunting for perceived medicinal value, as well as for fear (Bat Conservation International, 2013). Road construction, township projects, tourism, and development of agricultural land that leads to the removal of natural vegetation also adversely affect bats (Gaikwad, Narwade, Fartade, Vishakha, & Korad, 2012). Although these mammals provide a number of ecosystem services including seed dispersal and pollination, people generally ignore the importance of these services, despite their importance to crop yields (Munyuli, 2011). ...
... Taking into account the fact that folklore and superstition associated with these animals can hamper their conservation (Rego, Zeppelini, Lopez, & Alves, 2015), such studies can provide significant inputs for motivating the masses to protect bats. Therefore, an attempt was made to survey students and assess their perceptions of these animals that form the largest nonhuman aggregations of mammals and comprise 25% of all mammal species (Gaikwad et al., 2012;Mickleburgh, Hutson, & Racey, 2002;Swamidoss, Sudhakaran, & Parvathiraj, 2012). This work concentrated on high school students (Standard 10, ~15 years of age) in Barak Valley; no such study had been conducted previously in the area. ...
... Destruction of natural habitats is perhaps the largest threat to wildlife (Ehrlich, 1988). Indeed, the conversion of habitats supporting bats for various human purposes was found to be one of the major threats to bats in Maharashtra (Gaikwad et al., 2012). Hence, students were rightfully aware that the felling of roosting trees should be prevented in order to protect bat populations. ...
Bats are commonly found all over the world and provide significant ecosystem services. These animals are facing serious threats due to various anthropogenic activities, including hunting. Additionally, bats are often not particularly well liked due to their non-aesthetic characteristics. A positive attitude to these animals is essential to protect them through appropriate conservation measures involving public intervention. Current high school students are the conservationists of the future, and the extent of support for bat conservation received from this and future generations is dependent upon their attitude toward these animals. It is therefore important to assess their perceptions of bats so that appropriate awareness programs can be devised, and negative attitudes (if any) rectified. The present study aimed to understand this aspect in order to provide inputs for shaping positive attitudes toward bat conservation. The study was undertaken in Barak Valley, Assam, India, where 65 bat colonies had already been recorded. A total of 3,059 high school students from 36 schools situated in their vicinity were questioned using a close-ended questionnaire to determine their perceptions. The responses received were divided among three categories: familiarity with bats, opinion on bats, and attitudes toward conservation, and were ranked on a scale of 10, based on selected aspects. Most students were awarded a score of four, indicating an average knowledge and opinion of bats. These findings suggest that awareness programs are urgently needed in schools to improve the general knowledge of and attitudes toward bats, and to inspire the next generation of bat conservationists.
