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The 20th IBRC will have a range of workshops on topical subjects for bat research, conservation and management, organised by leaders in the respective fields.
Wednesday 6 August will be a dedicated day in the conference program for collaborative workshops. Workshops are free of charge for all delegates but registration is required to manage capacity and catering requirements.
Click on the titles below for summaries of the symposia themes: |
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1. Key Biodiversity Areas: Confirming Bats as Triggers
Organisers: Dr Dave Waldien & Dr Andrew Snyder
Wednesday 6 August 08:30-14:30
The workshop is designed to train and mobilise national and regional teams within networks to fully evaluate bats as trigger species at currently recognised Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) and as trigger species for new KBAs. We will organise into breakout teams (national and regional) and get started on the process while establishing a plan that will carry beyond IBRC. Our current plan includes:
Goal: Establish a series of regional and national workgroups trained in assessing and proposing bats as trigger species for KBAs.
Goal: Establish a series of regional and national workgroups trained in assessing and proposing bats as trigger species for KBAs.
- Review KBA concepts, including a review of the criteria and the reliance on the Red List
- Work through examples for triggers under the different criteria. This includes if/when/how to use range map overlap with current KBAs and aggregations of bats.
- Review and train on the process for updating KBAs, including removing species that are no longer triggers and adding species that are new trigger.
- Review process for establishing new KBAs, including boundaries and work with locals.
2. Developing a protocol for bat trait databases, and data collation for Australian species
Organiser: Dr Pia Lentini
Wednesday 6 August 08:30-16:30
Traits are extremely valuable for identifying patterns in how species interact with their environments and predict how they might respond to change. For bats, traits (such as wing aspect ratio, and hibernation behaviour), and guilds (such as open-space versus closed-space foragers) are frequently analysed when attempting to understand responses to threats such as urbanisation, disease, and wind turbine operation. However, bat trait information is patchy, and is typically sourced from across reference material and field guides, personal data, museum collections, papers, and databases that are not fit-for-purpose. Traits can vary substantially between individuals and regions, and it can be difficult to determine potential biases (i.e. where traits were measured, from how many individuals) from some sources. This is a global issue that is not specific to bats, and a movement has begun to collate and create open-source trait data for many taxa (e.g. Gallagher et al. 2020 NE&E v4 p294). Global trait databases exist for vertebrates generally (e.g. EltonTraits), and mammals specifically (e.g. PHYLACINE, PanTHERIA), though these do not capture some of the most relevant bat-specific traits, such as call characteristics. Recent efforts have been made to address this, including Froidevaux et al. (2023, SciData v10 p253) who have developed a trait database for Europe’s 47 species including 118 traits following open-source principles (https://jasja.shinyapps.io/ClimBats/). No such database exists for Australia’s bats, and many other species-rich regions globally. This creates barriers for researchers hoping to employ trait-based approaches, and prevents comparative analyses. This workshop will be run in two parts. The first will build from the work of Froidevaux et al. (2023) to identify a core set of bat traits that should be included in databases, develop definitions and guidelines for measurement and what core metadata need to be captured, and create a library of key sources that can be referenced. The second part will act as a proof of concept, where we will begin the development of an open-source trait dataset for bat species across Australia, identifying who can contribute data, what the most effective means of doing this is, and where critical knowledge gaps exist.
3. Cross-Training in Complex Systems in Bat Biology
Organisers: Dr Melissa Ingala, Dr M. Elise Lauterbur & Rebekah Kading
Wednesday 6 August 08:30-12:00
Bats have been the focus of considerable research attention following the COVID-19 pandemic, with special interest in the roles they play in ecosystems and how aspects of their unique physiology impact pathogen spread. It remains unclear the extent to which bat physiology intersects with the organisms they host, and how the broader environment modifies host-symbiont interactions. This lack of synthesis partly derives from post-hoc attempts to piece a larger network of interactions together from studies with distinct methodologies and primary aims. Organismal biology is inherently an integrative science, but most researchers are specialists in one or a few areas of science and are not specifically trained in integrative thinking across multi-scale systems.
We propose to advance the study of complex, multi-scale systems in bat biology from whole-organism physiology to ecosystem interactions by offering training in research project development using systems-thinking (i.e. a way of looking at the world as a whole, rather than a collection of parts). To do this, we will draw on expertise both from within our global working group and from networks associated with the Global Union of Bat Diversity Networks (GBatNet) to work through modules covering what systems thinking is, how to use it in the context of bat research, and how to visualize complex networks. We will emphasize that beginning studies with integrative thinking is essential for filling unknown links in complex interaction networks involving bats. The half-day workshop will leverage existing and in-progress datasets of bat and bat-hosted organisms and combine theoretical training with hands-on exercises putting trainees in the role of designing an integrative study.
We propose to advance the study of complex, multi-scale systems in bat biology from whole-organism physiology to ecosystem interactions by offering training in research project development using systems-thinking (i.e. a way of looking at the world as a whole, rather than a collection of parts). To do this, we will draw on expertise both from within our global working group and from networks associated with the Global Union of Bat Diversity Networks (GBatNet) to work through modules covering what systems thinking is, how to use it in the context of bat research, and how to visualize complex networks. We will emphasize that beginning studies with integrative thinking is essential for filling unknown links in complex interaction networks involving bats. The half-day workshop will leverage existing and in-progress datasets of bat and bat-hosted organisms and combine theoretical training with hands-on exercises putting trainees in the role of designing an integrative study.
4. Going batty? A practical mental health workshop for students and early career researchers
Organisers: Dr Julie Broken-Brow, Dr Robert Eres & Dr Nicola Hanrahan
Wednesday 6 August 13:00-14:30
What is often missing at conferences are resources to help PhD and early career researchers (ECRs) manage the stressors associated with being a junior researcher or academic. A recent report shows that PhD students are 6 times more likely to experience depression and anxiety compared with the general population. Furthermore, 41% of those surveyed met criteria for a moderate to severe anxiety problem with an additional 39% of graduate students reporting moderate to severe depression. This is phenomenally high when you compare this to the 6% prevalence rates of the general population.
Bat research can be particularly isolating due to the small research community and unusual field work hours, often removing researchers from their family, friends and regular routine, leading to experiences of mental health problems. We believe this workshop could be the beginning of a larger trend towards recognizing the mental health crisis in academia, and taking steps towards improving it. The international bat research community can lead the way for other organisations.
The workshop will include a presentation by leading Australian neuroscientist, Dr Robert Eres (supported by Dr Broken-Brow and Dr Hanrahan), outlining common mental health issues experienced by students and researchers, practical methods for dealing with the stressors of academic life, developing a healthy work-life balance, and outlining resources available. The presentation will be followed by a breakout session where attendees will form smaller groups and discuss hypothetical scenarios and share issues or insights that they have experienced. At the conclusion of the workshop, attendees will be invited to join the group at an informal social event where they can improve their support network, enabling good mental health post-conference.
Bat research can be particularly isolating due to the small research community and unusual field work hours, often removing researchers from their family, friends and regular routine, leading to experiences of mental health problems. We believe this workshop could be the beginning of a larger trend towards recognizing the mental health crisis in academia, and taking steps towards improving it. The international bat research community can lead the way for other organisations.
The workshop will include a presentation by leading Australian neuroscientist, Dr Robert Eres (supported by Dr Broken-Brow and Dr Hanrahan), outlining common mental health issues experienced by students and researchers, practical methods for dealing with the stressors of academic life, developing a healthy work-life balance, and outlining resources available. The presentation will be followed by a breakout session where attendees will form smaller groups and discuss hypothetical scenarios and share issues or insights that they have experienced. At the conclusion of the workshop, attendees will be invited to join the group at an informal social event where they can improve their support network, enabling good mental health post-conference.
5. Building the Capacity of Bat Biologists to Help Educators Integrate Bats into School Curricula
Organiser: Sam Stier, The Center for Learning with Nature
Wednesday 6 August 15:00-16:30
Bat biologists are frequently asked to educate others about bats. Because bat biologists’ time is limited, however, these important educational interactions are often less frequent than ideal. Alternatively, full-time educators, who have more time to educate others, are also constrained, both by their own knowledge about bats and the necessity to teach students standard school curricula. To address these limitations, in this workshop we will explore practical ways bat biologists can show educators how to use bats to facilitate teaching standard school topics. We will explore using cultural stories about bats, for example, as a means to teach literacy; bat wing shape to teach math topics in geometry, and engineering topics like managing stress concentration; and bat adaptations as a way to explore technological innovation inspired by Nature. Workshop participants will also use their own bat biology knowledge to develop and share their own lesson plan concepts for integrating bats into standard school topics. With these and other examples in their back pocket, bat biologists will come away from this workshop with a set of concrete education and outreach tools, for helping educators reach many more young people about the importance, value, and fascination of bats.
6. You Want to Help Study and Conserve Bats in Your Country—How to Get Started?
Organiser: Dr Malik Oedin
Wednesday 6 August 15:00-16:30
Bats play a crucial ecological role in tropical and island ecosystems, yet their conservation is often hindered by a lack of local expertise and tailored resources. This interactive workshop aims to guide researchers, students, and conservation practitioners in initiating local projects for bat research and protection.
The objectives of this workshop are:
The objectives of this workshop are:
- Understanding the local context – Identifying specific threats and opportunities for bat conservation in different regions.
- Developing a research and conservation project – Outlining the key steps to start an ecological monitoring program, considering biological, sociocultural, and regulatory aspects.
- Building effective collaborations – Exploring strategies for establishing partnerships with local communities, authorities, and research institutions.
- Accessing resources and funding – Providing guidance on securing funding and submitting projects to international funding bodies.
