Connecting in East Africa

by Stefanie Waldek

Bat Conservation International’s (BCI) Endangered Species Intervention (ESI) program works around the globe to protect Endangered bats and their habitats. This summer, the team honed in on East Africa.

In July, BCI staff from the ESI program and Science Department traveled to the 31st International Congress for Conservation Biology in Kigali, Rwanda. The meeting is a forum for members of the international conservation community to present research and share experiences, and 1,218 delegates attended from 91 countries.

“It’s interesting to see how other conservation practitioners are working to protect different species and habitats, and how that changes depending on which country individuals are working in and what the issues are,” says Dr. Jon Flanders, Director of Endangered Species Intervention at BCI, who attended the conference. “It’s a great knowledge exchange opportunity for everyone involved.”

Dr. Flanders virtually attended the 2021 conference, sharing the team’s work with the Hill’s horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hilli) in Rwanda. The elusive bat was feared to have gone extinct, with no sightings in almost 40 years. But in March 2022, the research team, consisting of members from BCI, the Rwanda Development Board, Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association, Maasai Mara University, Nyungwe Management Company and African Parks, announced its rediscovery.

This year, the multi-national team presented findings from subsequent research, including radio-tracking data identifying where the bats roost. BCI staff and former BCI Student Scholars also collaborated on a symposium and roundtable discussion about African bat conservation.

“Now that we’re finishing this element of the Rwanda work, it gives us an opportunity to start exploring other initiatives in the region,” Dr. Flanders says. “We’re always exploring what the threats are, what the opportunities are, and, most critically for us, where BCI can make the most impact.”

Following the conference, Dr. Flanders, BCI Chief Scientist Dr. Winifred Frick, and Dr. Melquisedec Gamba-Rios, BCI’s Regional Director for Latin America and Caribbean Initiatives, traveled to Kenya, where Dr. Isabella Mandl, BCI’s Regional Director for Africa and East Asia Initiatives, is leading a new cave conservation initiative in the coastal Shimoni region. They were joined by project partners Dr. Paul Webala of Maasai Mara University, Dr. David Wechuli of Angaza Ecoventures, and Angaza CEO Everastas Obura.

The Three Sisters Caves are home to the endangered Hildegarde’s tomb bat (Taphozous hildegardeae). The caves are a tourist destination and one cave is of religious importance to the local community. Repeated disturbance of the bats using these caves can threaten the long-term viability of the populations using them. Logging, agricultural activities, and charcoal production also reduce the bats’ feeding grounds. “We’re working to identify how we can protect the bats while also supporting local livelihoods,” says Dr. Flanders.

One idea is to seek out caves—or parts of caves—that bats don’t inhabit and encourage a shift of ecotourism to those locations.

Of course, this is only possible with the collaboration and approval of local groups. “We are making sure that we listen to their concerns,” Dr. Flanders says. “We want to find ways to get win-win solutions, and not just for the bats. Bats are such keystone species, so whatever benefits the bats benefits the wider ecosystem as well.”