Protecting Endangered Bats in Fiji

Management plan will protect a culturally significant cave and Fijian free-tailed bat population

by Katie Brown

This summer, Nathan Breece, Bat Conservation International’s (BCI) Assistant Director for Habitat Protection and Restoration, and Rebecca Patterson, BCI’s Director for Conservation Programs Coordination and Project Management, journeyed back to Fiji’s Nakanacagi Cave as part of BCI’s work protecting the Endangered Fijian free-tailed bat (Mops bregullae). After two flights, one rugged car ride, and a remote hike, Breece and Patterson found themselves outside the last known maternity roost for these Endangered bats for a second time—thanks to the help of partners at the National Trust of Fiji.

BCI has been working with the National Trust and other Fijian organizations since 2013 to create an informed management plan that ensures the long-term ecosystem viability of the cave, and watershed feeding it, which seeks to benefit generations of local villagers and Endangered bats alike. In addition to being a critical habitat for the Endangered bat species, the cave serves as a primary water source for the bats, an important breeding ground for aquatic species, and a sacred ritual space for people in the nearby Nakanacagi Village.

Nakanacagi Cave is the last known maternity colony for the IUCN Endangered Fijian free-tailed bat. The cave is a primary water source, an important breeding ground for aquatic species, and a sacred ritual space for people in Nakanacagi Village.

“It’s a complex management situation, and the most vital part is ensuring the village and in-country partners are driving the management plan,” Breece says.

Investing in the future

BCI started working with the National Trust of Fiji in 2013 to identify how they could best support in-country work and forge a plan to protect the Fijian free-tailed bat. The project officially launched in 2016 after BCI partnered with the Rainforest Trust, and together the two organizations provided the funding to ensure long-term protection of the site, which also benefits the surrounding communities.

The financial support paved the way for BCI to help facilitate a 2019 survey led by Nature Fiji and other partners that paired biological, ecological, archaeological, and socioeconomic information from the cave and the areas immediately adjacent to it with a LiDAR scan to better understand the current state of the cave and surrounding area. This methodology also allows comparing the data collected with future data to monitor trends and changes as they happen.

The project was put on pause when the COVID pandemic hit, and the cave was also exposed to a series of brutal cyclones that caused devastating flooding and other damage in 2020 and 2021. Despite the stalled plans, BCI and partner organizations prioritized working with in-country scientists and community members from Nakanacagi Village to ensure the cave’s continued protection. In addition, BCI was able to provide funding for rebuilding a portion of the Nakanacagi Village that was damaged during the cyclones.

Nakanacagi Cave is home to the only known maternity roost of the Fijian free-tailed bat.

Photo: Rebecca Patterson

“What we want to do is preserve the resiliency and function of this cave,” Breece says. “The significance it has to the village is just as—or maybe even more—important than the fact that it houses the Endangered Fijian free-tailed bat.”

To ensure long-term site monitoring can occur, which will help us learn more about the impacts of severe weather events like cyclones, BCI has been supporting the work of two Fijian graduate students. BCI’s most recent trip to Nakanacagi Cave centered around working with partners in the final push to get the management plan across the finish line.

“There have been a lot of hurdles to overcome, and our presence is meant to ensure the right people have the resources they need to protect the cave,” Breece says.

Proving resilient

In addition to the site’s conservation value and cultural significance, factors like the potential for ecotourism and native species reintroduction are components included in the finalized plan to protect Nakanacagi Cave. As the area bounces back from cyclones, the resiliency of the land and people working to protect this invaluable resource continues to drive the evolution of BCI overall.

“It’s easy for us being a conservation organization, to be singularly focused on the bats,” Breece says. “I think this project has given all of us involved a different lens into the kind of work we do and helped us recognize that conservation is just one of the important components of this cave.”

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