What Success Looks Like

by Mike Daulton

Jamaican flower bats (Phyllonycteris aphylla) are distinctive and ethereal- looking bats with body fur so pale my youngest daughter once compared them to flying marshmallows. Endemic to the island nation of Jamaica, this species was presumed to be extinct until 2010 when a single cave was discovered to support this rare species.

Today, Bat Conservation International (BCI) is celebrating. Thanks to outpouring donations from supporters worldwide, BCI is preparing to purchase a crucial parcel of land in Jamaica to save a vital maternity roost of Critically Endangered Jamaican flower bats. This land purchase could be the difference between the survival of this species and the once-looming threat of extinction.

If a picture is, indeed, worth a thousand words, you’ll want to check out the narration and photos in this issue to learn about the remarkable and dramatic backstory of a species seriously jeopardized by nearby habitat destruction and human intrusions.

Our work in saving Jamaican flower bats in Stony Hill Cave illustrates how BCI works worldwide and what it takes to save species with diminishing numbers. In Jamaica—like our work in Fiji to save the only known maternity roost of Fijian free-tailed bats (Mops bregullae)—BCI deployed scientists to evaluate the population of remaining bats along with imaging specialists to conduct high-tech surveys to assess the cave. We then worked with the local community, local landowners, and government experts to develop an actionable plan to protect the critical site.

Thanks to funds from BCI members and supporters, we purchased Stony Hill Cave and transferred it to Jamaica’s Natural Resources Conservation Authority. Jamaican flower bats have now been given a fighting chance at survival. An important maternity roost and nearby foraging areas will be fully protected to allow the surviving population of this species to reproduce.

What does success in bat conservation look like? Thanks to our generous supporters, it looks like a distinctive bat with silky pale body fur and acres of now-protected land above an unseen cave.

Mike Daulton
BCI Executive Director