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The 20th IBRC will have a range of symposia on topical subjects for bat research, conservation and management, organised by leaders in the respective fields.
When submitting your spoken presentation abstract (here), you can choose for it to be considered i) under one of the following symposia or ii) as part of the open call for presentations.
Click on the titles below for summaries of the symposia themes: |
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Conservation Research of Bats in Key Biodiversity Areas
Organisers: Prof Dave Waldien, Ariana Ananda, Prof Paul Webala, A/Prof Juliana Senawi, Dr Luis Aguirre, Dr Susan Tsang, Dr Junior Novera
Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) were established to catalyse conservation for biodiversity. Unfortunately, most of the recognized KBAs were narrow in their focus on taxa of interest, resulting in significant gaps in the species represented in KBAs. Bats, with over 1,480 recognized species, are one of the taxa that are underrepresented in KBAs. Our symposium will include speakers providing insights into the status of bats being recognized as trigger species for KBAs from global to local scales. Examples of ongoing conservation research within KBAs will also be featured. The symposium is designed to engage and catalyse people from across the world to proactively work to ensure bats are appropriately considered and represented in KBAs around the world.
Beneficial bats: Enhancing Pest Control and Bat Conservation
Organisers: Dr April Reside, Rani Davis, Nayelli Rivera Villanueva
The value of insectivorous bats to agriculture is well understood in many regions; and management strategies have been proposed for enhancing bat pest control services. Yet, empirical evidence for the effectiveness of strategies for increasing bat pest control is largely lacking. Furthermore, concerns for the impact of pesticides on bat health are not often adequately addressed. Australia is a world leader in biodiversity decline and extinction, and has only just begun to investigate the agricultural pest control services of bats. Australia is also heavily reliant on pesticides and the agricultural sector faces many challenges of pesticide resistance. This symposium will explore the global state of research on bat pest control services, and evaluate the current state of knowledge on effectiveness and feasibility of management strategies. We will bring together learnings from across the globe to inform priorities for Australia’s shift towards farming with greater biodiversity, productivity and health outcomes.
Online resources for bat researchers and managers: from laptop to Google and beyond
Organisers: Prof Simon Robson, Dr Siddeswara Guru
The development of open-access online computing resources has revolutionised our capacity to identify and manage bats. Access is now available to many acoustic call libraries, geographical mapping tools, sophisticated analytical and identification approaches and large-scale computing networks via personal phones, laptops, desktops and cloud-based computing servers. Interested individuals can now access databases comprising millions of calls and the fastest computers in the world in their efforts to identify bat calls.
The goal of this symposia is to introduce these rapidly expanding resources to the bat community, to provide an opportunity for developers to discuss common problems and solutions, and to make it easier for ongoing efforts to further improve bat research and management. For example, how do various users deal with large-scale data storage, error-checking processes, data-processing automation and intellectual property? Can alternative databases collaborate to develop a common set of descriptive metadata allowing for more efficient searches across platforms?
The goal of this symposia is to introduce these rapidly expanding resources to the bat community, to provide an opportunity for developers to discuss common problems and solutions, and to make it easier for ongoing efforts to further improve bat research and management. For example, how do various users deal with large-scale data storage, error-checking processes, data-processing automation and intellectual property? Can alternative databases collaborate to develop a common set of descriptive metadata allowing for more efficient searches across platforms?
Constructed habitats for bat conservation: Current state of knowledge on best practice design and an overview of current research needs
Organisers: Dr Vanessa Gorecki, Dr Caragh Threlfall, A/Prof Joy O’Keefe
Bats are increasingly dependent upon constructed roosting habitat across many types of human-modified landscapes. In the UN decade of restoration, design guidance is needed to ensure roosts constructed for bats are fit for purpose and do not result in unintended harm. We expect this symposium to showcase research on the breadth of artificial roosts used by bats (boxes, bridges, culverts, buildings), in all landscape contexts (urban, rural, timber production, mining) as a way of showcasing selection and use of artificial roosts, to provide guidance on how these habitats can be provided, globally. Presentations will be collated as case studies in a special issue on this topic, presenting a synopsis of the state of knowledge on artificial roost use by bats. At a time when governments are seeking ways to restore and create habitat, current best practice evidence is needed to ensure positive results for threatened and declining bat populations in human impacted landscapes.
Wind energy and bat impacts
Organisers: Emma Bennett, Prof Christian Voigt, Dr Teague O'Mara, Dr Winifred Frick
The conflict between wind energy and bats is well established in the northern hemisphere. However, a rapid increase in global wind energy construction means that new regions, particularly in the global south, are rapidly trying to understand this conflict and determine effective mitigation strategies. Alarmingly high rates of bat fatalities from tropical locations are being reported, including fatalities of Pteropodidae. This symposium will bring together bat scientists, conservation practitioners and wind conflict specialists to understand the patterns of bat fatalities in these new regions. In addition, this symposium will discuss lessons learnt from the northern hemisphere and how they can help tackle this growing concern to bat populations at a global scale.
Bats & mines: reclamation, remediation & proactive conservation
Organisers: Prof Rick Sherwin, Jason Williams, Brian Dailey, Prof Dave Waldien
There is a long history of association between bats and mined landscapes. Mining can negatively impact bats directly and indirectly through the removal of roosting and foraging habitat, altering hydrology, and disturbance through noise, vibration and dust. Mining can also create bat habitat with many underground mines and surface features (e.g., pit walls, vacant buildings) now inhabited by a range of species. Some species also take advantage of modified landscapes for foraging by hunting over waste rock piles, retention ponds, outside of mine portals, and around surface lighting. As global mining expands to satisfy industrial and consumer needs, expectations to mitigate potential negative impacts to bats are also increasing, therefore it is important to better understand the relationship of bats with abandoned, active, and planned mining operations. This symposium will provide researchers, land managers, consultants, and mining representatives opportunities to elucidate management and conservation strategies that facilitate mining activities while proactively and effectively conserving species and populations of bats that are dependent on these resources.
Mountain Bats: Embarking on the ‘uphill’ task of understanding their biology and enabling effective monitoring
Organisers: Dr Rohit Chakravarty, Prof Ara Monadjem
Mountains harbour a third of the world’s biodiversity and encompass half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. They are present on all continents. Since the time of Alexander von Humboldt, elevational gradients have been important laboratories for research on biogeography and community interactions across taxa. Additionally, mountains are emerging centres of discovery. In the last few years many new bat species have been discovered on mountains (including the colourful Myotis nimbaensis). However, recent research shows that bat species that predominantly occur in mountains are either proportionately more data deficient or threatened – in great part due to the challenges of sampling elusive and nocturnal animals in harsh terrain. This symposium will bring research on the ecology, biogeography, and conservation of mountain bats under one roof. We also aim to brainstorm the founding of a ‘Mountain Bat Network’ to improve monitoring of bats in the light of climate change.
All seeds big and small: Chiropterochory in the tropics
Organisers: Dr Luis Viquez-R, Prof Bernal Rodriguez-Herrera, Dr Cullen Geiselman, Prof Rodrigo Medellin
Although seed dispersal is normally highlighted as one of the most important ecosystem services provided by bats, there are currently no global efforts to centralise and compile that information. Since the release of “Seed Dispersal by Bats in the Neotropics’ in 2009 (Lobova et al), there has been no systematic effort to document seed dispersal in the tropics. Our intention is to use this event as a launching platform for a new effort to document seed dispersal but moving beyond the neotropics. Our speaker docket will include researchers from diverse backgrounds that represent the regions where seed dispersal research is conducted. We will ask all speakers to share detailed sampling protocols to promote the adoption of standardized sampling methods across the discipline.
Old-World fruit bats (Pteropodidae spp.): biology, conservation and management
Organisers: Dr Isabella Mandl, Dr Tammy Mildenstein, Prof Justin Welbergen, Dr Malik Oedin, Dr Sheema Abdul Aziz
The last decades have seen important advances in our understanding of the fundamental biology and ecological functions of Old-World fruit bats (Pteropodidae spp.) along with approaches for their management and conservation. Yet, important gaps persist, and Old-World fruit bats are increasingly under threat across their range. With this symposium, we aim to create a platform for discussion across the region, and for a broad range of stakeholders to have the chance to learn from each other. We are hoping this will set the foundation for ongoing international exchange for the effective conservation of this ecologically important, and increasingly threatened, group of species.
Unlocking the Power of Bat1K Genomes: Cross-Disciplinary Insights into the Unique Biology of Bats
Organisers: Meike Mai, Prof Emma Teeling, Prof Sonja Vernes
This symposium will highlight the impact of the Bat1K project, which unites 530+ members from 67 countries, and aims to sequence and analyse the genomes of all living bat species to reference quality chromosome level genome assemblies. With over 300 genomes underway, and over 103 released, spanning all of the 21 currently recognized families, Bat1K is creating a unique resource for the bat research community which is organized into several working groups to leverage the available resources across disciplines. In this symposium we showcase the global research utilizing Bat1K’s genomes. From evolution to ecosystems, from molecule to biome, these genomes enable a deeper understanding of bat biology throughout the globe across multiple disciplines and research areas. This symposium will appeal to everyone interested in cutting-edge science uncovering bats’ extraordinary traits, such as sensory perception, echolocation, immunity, and longevity while addressing pressing global challenges like biodiversity loss and disease emergence.
Bat comparative immunology
Organiser: Dr Arinjay Banerjee
Bats have revealed remarkable traits of antiviral immunity. Antibacterial and anti-parasitic immunity remain less studied. Newly released bat genomes are facilitating the discovery of antiviral adaptations within the bat genome, along with functional adaptations within inflammatory, antiviral and other cellular processes. Thus, here we will highlight studies by groups internationally who are attempting to answer the question - have bats evolved alternate or enhanced molecular processes to better tolerate infections?
Infectious Diseases in Bats – A One Health perspective
Organisers: Dr Alison Peel, Jenn Barr, Dr Glen Marsh, Dr Tamika Lunn
Bats host complex and diverse infectious agent communities, ranging from commensals with no apparent consequences, to those with potential for zoonotic spillover, as well as emerging pathogens threatening bat conservation. Anthropogenic environmental changes play a critical role in modifying these host-pathogen interactions, creating novel opportunities for transmission across ecological boundaries. This symposium will investigate the complex interactions between bat populations, their associated microorganisms, and human-mediated ecological disruptions. The symposium will bring together researchers studying viruses, fungi and bacteria in bats, to explore the epidemiological, ecological, and evolutionary mechanisms that shape the within and among-host interactions and dynamics.
Capacity Building for Bat Conservation and One Health: Insights from the MENTOR-Bat Program
Organisers: Dr Luz A de Wit, Dr Sigit Wiantoro, Daisy Gomez, Dr Patrick Atagana
This symposium will explore how capacity-building programs can advance bat conservation while addressing critical challenges at the intersection of biodiversity, human health, and ecosystem health within a One Health framework. By using the MENTOR-Bat program as a case study, the session will highlight the role of bat researchers and One Health practitioners from Cameroon, Colombia and Indonesia in designing and implementing impactful projects and outreach initiatives. Participants will gain insights into practical applications of capacity building for tackling conservation challenges and fostering coexistence between bats and people. This symposium will aim to showcase how capacity-building initiatives equip conservation leaders to address complex challenges in bat conservation and human health, provide insights from pilot projects and outreach campaigns addressing region-specific challenges and opportunities in bat conservation and One Health, and facilitate cross-regional dialogue on best practices in capacity building, conservation, and community engagement.
Keeping bats and people healthy—towards a One Health Action Plan For Rousettus aegyptiacus
Organisers: Prof Tigga Kingston, Dr Maya Weinberg
Rousettus aegyptiacus ranges across Africa to western Asia and has been the focus of much ecological and emerging pathogen research, in part because of its role as a reservoir of Marburg virus. Its disjunct populations experience different ecological contexts and human interactions, influencing its role as a virus host and spillover risks. In this symposium we invite and integrate diverse research perspectives (e.g., ecology--including but not limited to navigation, movement and foraging ecology, social behaviour and population dynamics, virology, physiology, genomics, human dimensions of the human-bat interface) from across the species’ range into a One Health framework as a foundation to secure healthy, sustainable populations of R. aegyptiacus throughout its range while minimizing drivers that contribute to disease emergence and human risks.
This is intended to be a highly integrative symposium, drawing from experts in movement ecology, social biology, human dimensions research, virology, physiology, etc. The extensive distribution of the species also draws a wide audience from Africa and western Asia, and because the genus extends through Asia to SE Asia, it is likely to draw interest from paleotropical bat researchers. Those interested in disease ecology/ One Health are also an intended audience, regardless of their focal taxon, as we hope this integrative approach will ultimately be applied to other taxa.
This is intended to be a highly integrative symposium, drawing from experts in movement ecology, social biology, human dimensions research, virology, physiology, etc. The extensive distribution of the species also draws a wide audience from Africa and western Asia, and because the genus extends through Asia to SE Asia, it is likely to draw interest from paleotropical bat researchers. Those interested in disease ecology/ One Health are also an intended audience, regardless of their focal taxon, as we hope this integrative approach will ultimately be applied to other taxa.
