Bats are Vital for our Healthy Ecosystem

By- Dr. N. Munal Meitei
International Bat Appreciation Day is observed on April 17. This special day is to appreciate bats which we ignored most but to recognise their important role in our environment. Bats are amazing mammals that are vital to the health of our natural world and economy.
Bats are essential to ecosystems for several reasons. They are natural enemies of insects. Although we may not always see them, bats are hard at work each night – eating tons of insects, create rich fertilizer for landowners, pollinating fruits, flowers and spreading seeds that grow new plants and trees in other places. Bats help control insect populations, such as mosquitoes, which can carry diseases.Bats lead us to the best opportunities to protect nature anywhere in the world.
Bats are a key part of our ecosystem, as they control to keep insect populations. Many species of bats consume fruit and disperse its seeds over long distances. This helps to promote genetic diversity within plant populations, which is essential for maintaining healthy ecosystems.
Bats are incredibly diverse, with over 1400 known species, making them one of the largest orders of mammals and accounting for about a quarter of all mammal species on the Earth. Despite their small size, some bats boast a remarkably long lifespan. In the wild, some bat species can live up to 40 years, defying the usual biological law that small mammals have shorter life spans. Unlike other mammals, bats are capable of true flight due to their lightweight bodies and powerful chest muscles. Bats produce ultrasonic waves which enable them to navigate and hunt effectively, even in total darkness.
Bats are again predators for other birds, reptiles and mammals. Since bats are considered “insectivorous”, they rid our world from many annoying insects. Bats grow in a variety of sizes. One of the largest bats is the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox bat weighing up to 1.82 kg with a wingspan of up to 1.9 m. Kitti’s hog-nosed bat is the world’s smallest species of bat. It is also known as the bumblebee bat. They live in limestone caves in Thailand and Myanmar.
Bats are considered “keystone species” that are essential to our ecosystem. Without bats’ pollination and seed-dispersing services, our ecosystems could gradually collapse and entire region would not be as rich in flora and fauna as they are right now. One 150 brown bats colony protects farmers from up to 33 million or more root-worms each summer. Bats along with butterflies and bees can provide a critical link in our food chain. Bats protect ecosystems and help make sure our planet has a healthier future. Without the bats, plants would fail to provide food for other wildlife species and surrounding ecosystems.
In India, we have around 135 species of bats in 39 genera and nine families and only 12 are protected under national law, leaving the vast majority without formal specific protection. Only two bat species are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which provides the highest level of protection, such as Wroughton’s free-tailed bat (Otomopswroughtoni) and Salim Ali’s fruit bat (Latidenssalimalii). The bats that our Wildlife Acts include inSchedule V as vermin allowing them to be hunted, killed, or removed without legal repercussions, as they are considered pests to agricultural and horticultural crops.
In Manipur, there are 12 species of bats recorded in nine districts in 2021. Based on these records and field evidence, the researchers reported the presence of 38 species of small mammals in the state including 27 species of bats, 10 species of rodents and one species of shrew. Thus, the state needs to take up immediate survey of bats and take up the necessary step to save these flying mammals.
Bats are vital for a healthy planet. A single little brown bat can catch up to 1200 insects, weighing up to its own body weight in a single night, saving farmers billions in pesticide costs. Hundreds of plant species, including bananas, avocados and mangoes, depend on bats for pollination. Fruit-eating bats help regrow forests by spreading seeds through their droppings
Despite their important role in ecosystems, bats face a number of threats, destruction of their natural habitats such as caves and old trees, mining and irresponsible tourism have caused a substantial decrease in the bats’ population.Diseases, such as white-nose syndrome, which can wipe out entire colonies. Accidents, such as collisions with electric lines, roads and the destruction of buildings. Bats are also often perceived as disease spreaders when in reality they help to keep our ecosystem alive and in balance.
Nearly 200 bat species are threatened with extinction. As of now, 35 bat species are critically endangered. These ignored keystone species are facing a multitude of threats including pesticide use, destruction of roost sites, over-harvesting for bush-meat, climate change and much more putting them on the brinks of extinction. Thus, on coming the International Bat Appreciation Day, let’s save these wonderful but neglected flying mammals for the planet.
(The author is Environmentalist presently working as DFO/Chandel, email: [email protected]