Protecting Brandon Hill Cave Together

or this issue of Bats Magazine, we have been given special permission to step out of our usual roles and write to you directly because we have some truly exciting news to share. As some of you may have seen across our social media channels already, we are pleased to announce that Bat Conservation International (BCI) has been able to secure the purchase of Brandon Hill Cave in Honduras to permanently protect it from development.

We wanted to thank everyone personally for their generosity and overwhelming response to this crisis, and to Rainforest Trust for the match funding they were able to provide. When we learned that Brandon Hill Cave and the surrounding land was under immediate threat of sale and development, it was clear that time was not on our side. However, the response was truly remarkable. The speed and scale of donations allowed us to move swiftly and decisively, completing the acquisition in record time before development interests could close in. Behind the scenes, this was a collaborative effort. Our communications and development teams worked tirelessly to tell the story of Brandon Hill, ensuring that the urgency of the situation never overshadowed the science or the long-term vision.

With the threat of development past us, the real work begins. Brandon Hill Cave is home to approximately 6,000 bats representing at least six species, including the Tomes’s sword-nosed bat (for which this is the only known reproductive site in Honduras). It is critical that we protect, restore, and enhance this area that is also home to Endangered and endemic reptiles and one of the last patches of hardwood forest remaining on the island. We are partnering with three outstanding local organizations—Kanahau Wildlife Conservation, the Bay Islands Conservation Association, and the Iguana Station—to develop a management and restoration plan for the site. In parallel, we are working with Honduran government authorities to secure permanent national- level protection, which would make Brandon Hill the first formally protected area for bats in Honduras.

Between the two of us, we have spent more than 40 years working in bat conservation. While change is inevitable, losing irreplaceable sites like Brandon Hill is what keeps us up at night. But working at BCI, alongside supporters like you, reminds us of what we can achieve together, and gives us tremendous hope for the future.

Thank you for your continued support. It makes all the difference.

With gratitude,

Jon Flanders, Ph.D., Director of Endangered Species Interventions
Ana Ibarra, Ph.D., Regional Director for Mexico and Latin America