African bats require monitoring in protected areas, study finds

Bats play a vital role in African ecosystems, from pollination and seed dispersal to pest control, significantly contributing to local ecology and livelihoods. The conventional thinking has been that protected areas offer a safe haven for many animal species, including bats. However, a recent study suggests that bats have been largely overlooked in monitoring and conservation programs conducted in protected areas and may be quietly declining as a result. “Protected areas (PAs) are a critical conservation tool; however, their effectiveness in safeguarding many taxa, such as bats, remains unclear,” the authors wrote. This study set out to assess how well protected areas actually protect bats and highlight the areas where conservation efforts need to be improved. So, researchers assessed the