BCI’s Resolve to Save Endangered Species

ast year was a good year for bat conservation. Among several notable accomplishments, Bat Conservation International (BCI) worked with Jamaican authorities to complete the purchase of Stony Hill Cave and the surrounding land to provide long-term protection for the last known maternity roost of Critically Endangered Jamaican flower bats (Phyllonycteris aphylla), or the “marshmallow bats” according to my youngest daughter.

We discovered the first-ever maternity roost for the Critically Endangered Hill’s horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hilli), building on our earlier rediscovery of the bat in 2019. It had been presumed extinct for nearly 40 years before BCI and our partners found the bat in Rwanda’s Nyungwe National Park in 2019. We announced the species’ rediscovery in 2022, published the findings in Biodiversity Data Journal, and then discovered the maternity roost tree all in one year. This sets the stage for future conservation now that we understand more about the bat’s habitat needs.

In 2023, we continue our work to save the Endangered Florida bonneted bat (Eumops floridanus). Last fall, we filed a lawsuit to protect its last remaining habitat in South Florida, and we intend to keep fighting.

In the southwest U.S. and northern Mexico, we worked alongside several groups to plant thousands of agave plants to provide critical sustenance for migrating Mexican long-nosed bats (Leptonycteris nivalis), a species the Endangered Species Coalition declared as one of “10 U.S. Species Already Imperiled by Climate Change.”

This year and in the years ahead, we will continue to advocate for crucial funding as we work tirelessly to protect and restore bat populations and their habitats. We know what can be accomplished with data, resources, and focus. We know we can’t rest on our progress—especially when the clock is ticking.

Mike Daulton
BCI Executive Director