Bat Conservation International

Bat Conservation International (BCI) is an international nongovernmental organization working to conserve the world's bats and their habitats through conservation, education, and research efforts.

Bat Conservation International

Founded	October 2, 1982
Founder	Merlin D. Tuttle[1]
Type	Charitable trust
Focus	Environmentalism, Conservation
Location	Austin, Texas
Origins	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Executive Director: Mike Daulton
Website	batcon.org

BCI was founded in 1982 by prominent bat biologist Merlin Tuttle. Since its establishment, BCI has formed lasting partnerships with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and many national and international agencies and nonprofits, and has produced publications, workshops, scholarships, and research, and site-specific projects across the nation and around the world. Currently, BCI employs a staff of 30 biologists, educators, and administrators and is supported by members in 60 countries.

Conservation strategies

BCI operates by its "10 critical conservation strategies": 1) Accelerating scientific research 2) Preventing extinction 3) Protecting intact areas with highly diverse bat communities 4) Preserving megapopulations of bats 5) Creating global and regional partnerships 6) Addressing threats impacting multiple species at multiple sites 7) Promoting community-based bat conservation 8) Creating and enforcing legal and policy frameworks 9) Developing and perfecting important technology 10) Investing in future conservation leadership[2]

Addressing serious threats

BCI funds and participates in research to mitigate damage to bat populations. Some of the threats previously or currently addressed include:

• The effects of uranium mines on bats that use them as roosts[3]
• Ways to reduce bat mortality from wind turbines[3]
• Mass mortality from white-nose syndrome
• Guano mining in bat caves

Protecting megapopulations

Being colonial, many bat species form colonies that can consist of millions of individuals.[4] Because some bat species are highly aggregated, entire species can be threatened by disturbance to a small number of roosts.[5] BCI seeks to protect these roosts of high aggregations, or "mega-populations."[3] Some ways that BCI works to protect megapopulations are:

• Determining the effects of cave gates on bat usage of caves[3]
• Purchasing land with important caves, such as Bracken Cave, home of the world's largest bat colony[6]
• Using education and outreach to protect bat roosts from purposeful eradication, such as the colony at the Congress Avenue Bridge that was initially unwelcome[7]

Preventing extinction

In their 2014–2018 Strategic Plan, BCI identified 35 critically endangered or endangered species of bats as priority species that will receive a concentrated focus of research and conservation efforts to hopefully prevent their extinction.[3] BCI is also a member of the Alliance for Zero Extinction, which seeks to safeguard the last habitats of critically endangered species.[2]

Common name	Species name	IUCN conservation status	Range
Indiana bat	Myotis sodalis	NT (formerly EN)[8]	Eastern U.S.
Florida bonneted bat	Eumops floridanus	VU (formerly CR)[9]	Southern Florida
Greater long-nosed bat	Leptonycteris nivalis	EN[10]	Southwest U.S., Mexico
Jamaican greater funnel-eared bat	Natalus jamaicensis	CR[11]	Jamaica
Paraguana moustached bat	Pteronotus paraguanensis	EN[12]	Venezuela
Fernandez's sword-nosed bat	Lonchorhina fernandezi	EN[13]	Venezuela
Marinkelle's sword-nosed bat	Lonchorhina marinkellei	VU (formerly EN)[14]	Colombia
Choco broad-nosed bat	Platyrrhinus chocoensis	VU (formerly EN)[15]	Panama, Colombia, Ecuador
Ecuadorian sac-winged bat	Balantiopteryx infusca	VU (formerly EN)[16]	Ecuador, Colombia
Smokey bat	Amorphochilus schnablii	VU (formerly EN)[17]	Ecuador, Chile
Lesser yellow-shouldered bat	Sturnira nana	EN[18]	Peru, Ecuador
Lamotte's roundleaf bat	Hipposideros lamottei	CR[19]	Border of Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea
Maclaud's horseshoe bat	Rhinolophus maclaudi	EN[20]	Guinea
Ziama horseshoe bat	Rhinolophus ziama	EN[21]	Guinea, Liberia
Hill's horseshoe bat	Rhinolophus hilli	CR[22]	Rwanda
Rodrigues flying fox	Pteropus rodricensis	CR[23]	Rodrigues
Seychelles sheath-tailed bat	Coleura seychellensis	CR[24]	Seychelles
Golden-crowned flying fox	Acerodon jubatus	EN[25]	The Philippines
Philippine bare-backed fruit bat	Dobsonia chapmani	CR[26]	The Philippines
Marianas flying fox	Pteropus mariannus	EN[27]	Northern Mariana Islands, Guam
Chuuk flying fox*	Pteropus insularis	NE (formerly CR)[28]	Micronesia
Pacific sheath-tailed bat	Emballonura semicaudata	EN[29]	American Samoa, Fiji, Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Samoa, Tonga
Bulmer's fruit bat	Aproteles bulmerae	CR[30]	Papua New Guinea
New Guinea big-eared bat	Pharotis imogene	CR[31]	Papua New Guinea
Bougainville monkey-faced bat	Pteralopex anceps	EN[32]	Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands
Greater monkey-faced bat	Pteralopex flanneryi	CR[33]	Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands
Guadalcanal monkey-faced bat	Pteralopex atrata	EN[34]	Solomon Islands
Makira flying fox	Pteropus cognatus	EN[35]	Solomon Islands
Montane monkey-faced bat	Pteralopex pulchra	CR[36]	Solomon Islands
New Georgia monkey-faced bat	Pteralopex taki	EN[37]	Solomon Islands
Temotu flying fox	Pteropus nitendiensis	EN[38]	Solomon Islands
Vanikoro flying fox	Pteropus tuberculatus	CR[39]	Solomon Islands
Banks flying fox	Pteropus fundatus	EN[40]	Vanuatu
Fijian monkey-faced bat	Mirimiri acrodonta	CR[41]	Fiji
Fijian mastiff bat	Chaerephon bregullae	EN[42]	Fiji, Vanuatu

Political advocacy

In addition to promoting scientific research on bats and their conservation, BCI is also involved in public policy. BCI announces opposition to legislation to mobilize its members against it, such as with Pennsylvania House Bill 1576, which would have changed how threatened and endangered species are protected in the state.[3] In the future, BCI plans to increase its engagement in legislative and policy efforts to conserve bats.[2]

See also

• Bats of the United States
• Conservation movement
• List of bat conservation and research groups
• List of conservation issues

External audio

Adventures With a Bat Biologist, 12:29, To the Best of Our Knowledge[43]

References

1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-04-17. Retrieved 2011-04-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. "A Five-Year Plan for Global Bat Conservation" (PDF). batcon.org. Bat Conservation International. October 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
3. "Annual Report 2013-2014" (PDF). batcon.org. Bat Conservation International. August 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 7, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
4. Betke, M., Hirsh, D. E., Makris, N. C., McCracken, G. F., Procopio, M., Hristov, N. I., ... & Crampton, S. (2008). Thermal imaging reveals significantly smaller Brazilian free-tailed bat colonies than previously estimated. Journal of Mammalogy, 89(1), 18–24.
5. McCracken, G. F. (2011). Cave conservation: special problems of bats. Course Booklet, 68.
6. "Protecting a Jewel in Texas". batcon.org. Bat Conservation International. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
7. "Congress Avenue Bridge". batcon.org. Bat Conservation International. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
8. Arroyo-Cabrales, J. & Ospina-Garces, S. 2016. Myotis sodalis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T14136A22053184. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T14136A22053184.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
9. Solari, S. 2016. Eumops floridanus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T136433A21984011. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T136433A21984011.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
10. Medellín, R. 2016. Leptonycteris nivalis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T11697A22126172. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T11697A22126172.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
11. Solari, S. 2016. Natalus jamaicensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T136824A22043871. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T136824A22043871.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
12. Solari, S. 2016. Pteronotus paraguanensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T136610A21987754. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T136610A21987754.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
13. Solari, S. 2016. Lonchorhina fernandezi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T12271A22039142. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T12271A22039142.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
14. Solari, S. 2016. Lonchorhina marinkellei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T12272A22038923. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T12272A22038923.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
15. Ramirez-Chaves, H. & Suárez-Castro, A. 2015. Platyrrhinus chocoensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T17568A21987035. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T17568A21987035.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
16. Tirira, D. 2015. Balantiopteryx infusca. (errata version published in 2016) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T2531A97206692. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
17. Velazco, P., Huamani, L. & Cadenillas, R. 2015. Amorphochilus schnablii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T1154A22070889. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T1154A22070889.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
18. Solari, S. & Boada, C. 2016. Sturnira nana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T20958A22050195. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T20958A22050195.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
19. Mickleburgh, S., Hutson, A.M., Bergmans, W. & Fahr, J. 2008. Hipposideros lamottei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T10141A3173193. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T10141A3173193.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
20. Fahr. J. 2008. Rhinolophus maclaudi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T19549A8973675. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T19549A8973675.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
21. Fahr. J. 2008. Rhinolophus ziama. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T44786A10939382. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T44786A10939382.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
22. Fahr. J. 2010. Rhinolophus hilli. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T44781A10937550. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-2.RLTS.T44781A10937550.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
23. Mickleburgh, S., Hutson, A.M. & Bergmans, W. 2008. Pteropus rodricensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T18755A8565719. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T18755A8565719.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
24. Gerlach, J., Mickleburgh, S., Hutson, A.M. & Bergmans, W. 2008. Coleura seychellensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T5112A11115279. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T5112A11115279.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
25. Mildenstein, T. and Paguntalan, L. 2016. Acerodon jubatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T139A21988328. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T139A21988328.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
26. Heaney, L., Ong, P., Tabaranza, B., Rosell-Ambal, G., Balete, D., Alcala, E., Paguntulan, L.M., Pedregosa, S. & Cariño, A.B. 2008. Dobsonia chapmani. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T6773A12804243. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T6773A12804243.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017
27. Allison, A., Bonaccorso, F., Helgen, K. & James, R. 2008. Pteropus mariannus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T18737A8516291. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T18737A8516291.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
28. Helgen, K. & Wiles, G. (2009). "Pteropus insularis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)old-form url
29. Bonaccorso, F. & Allison, A. 2008. Emballonura semicaudata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T7669A12841889. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T7669A12841889.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
30. Aplin, K., Armstrong, K. & Wright, D. 2016. Aproteles bulmerae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T1933A22136238. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T1933A22136238.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
31. Bonaccorso, F., Hamilton, S. & Parnaby, H. 2008. Pharotis imogene. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T16887A6543777. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T16887A6543777.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
32. Helgen, K., Hamilton, S., Leary, T. & Bonaccorso, F. 2008. Pteralopex anceps. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T18656A8504526. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T18656A8504526.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
33. Helgen, K., Hamilton, S. & Leary, T. 2008. Pteralopex flanneryi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T136587A4315225. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T136587A4315225.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
34. Helgen, K. & Hamilton, S. 2008. Pteralopex atrata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T18657A8504692. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T18657A8504692.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
35. James, R., Hamilton, S. & Helgen, K. 2008. Pteropus cognatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T136397A4286239. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T136397A4286239.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
36. Leary, T., Helgen, K. & Hamilton, S. 2008. Pteralopex pulchra. (errata version published in 2016) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T18658A103392586. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
37. Hamilton, S., Helgen, K., James, R., Fisher, D. & Parnaby, H. 2008. Pteralopex taki. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T29473A9500602. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T29473A9500602.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
38. Leary, T., Hamilton, S. & James, R. 2008. Pteropus nitendiensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T18744A8535844. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T18744A8535844.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
39. Leary, T., Hamilton, S. & James, R. 2008. Pteropus tuberculatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T18765A8590245. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T18765A8590245.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
40. Helgen, K. & Hamilton, S. 2008. Pteropus fundatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T18724A8510939. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T18724A8510939.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
41. Helgen, K., Palmeirim, J. & Allison, A. 2008. Mirimiri acrodonta. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T18655A8504355. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T18655A8504355.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
42. Palmeirim, J. 2014. Chaerephon bregullae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T4309A67360775. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T4309A67360775.en. Downloaded on 01 May 2017.
43. "Adventures With a Bat Biologist". To the Best of Our Knowledge via WNYC. August 28, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.

External links

• Bat Conservation International