SEABCRU » anthropogenic landscapes

Bats of agroforests in Sumatra

AOXEN — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:42:47 +0000

News of a new book written by Pandam Nugroho Prasetyo, Sephy Noerfahmy and Hesti Lestari Tata that provides a guide to species (and methods used to catch them) found in two provinces in Sumatra during rapid surveys. Thanks to Sephy for providing a copy!

Bats of Agroforests Sumatra pdf (in Indonesian)

Monitoring Bat Diversity in REDD Projects

Matthew Struebig — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:27:40 +0000

If done well, REDD+ projects (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) may not only save carbon rich forests, but also protect embattled biodiversity. But what’s the best way to ensure both and carbon and species are preserved under REDD+, a program that proposes to pay nations to keep forests standing?

A new study authored by SEABCRU members Mark Harrison, Arjan Boonman and Matthew Struebig in Tropical Conservation Science argues that a one-size-fits-all approach to monitoring biodiversity in REDD+ projects would not only be difficult to develop, but would likely fail. In their paper the researchers directly oppose an earlier study, also in TCS, that argued for standardized biodiversity monitoring based on camera traps and acoustic monitoring of bats. While researchers admit both methods could play important roles in monitoring, they should not be wholly depended on. Regarding acoustic monitoring, the authors argue that if call identification issues in Southeast Asia can be overcome, acoustic monitoring could be very useful if it accompanied surveys in capture surveys.

Bat diversity losses in rubber plantations

Paul Bates — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 20:22:50 +0000

Congratulations to the Prince of Songkla University team for a very relevant publication on the effects of rubber plantations on the diversity bats in peninsular Thailand. Phansamai Phommexay used acoustic monitoring and trapping to compare the diversity and activity of understorey insectivorous bats in two wildlife sanctuaries with that of nearby monoculture rubber plantations.

As expected, both diversity and activity were much lower in the rubber plantations, and it is likely that this is a consequence of the reduced insect biomass they reported in the plantations. With the land area given over to rubber and other monocultures increasing dramatically each year, this type of study is particularly relevant to bat conservation in SE Asia.

Phansamai Phommexay, Chutamas Satasook, Paul Bates, Malcolm Pearch & Sara Bumrungsri (2011). The impact of rubber plantations on the diversity and activity of understorey insectivorous bats in southern Thailand. Biodiversity and Conservation 20: 1441-1456.

Contact Phansamai phommexay@gmail.com or Sara sara_psu@hotmail.com for a copy.