KFRI workshop gives invaluable insight into the world of bats

KFRI hosts workshop on advanced bat research and conservation, addressing habitat destruction, zoonotic diseases, and endangered species.

The Wildlife Biology Division of the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), an institution of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, in collaboration with the Conservation Leadership Programme and Bat Conservation International, recently hosted a three-day workshop on advanced bat classification, observation, and conservation research.

Held at the Kerala Forest Research Institute in Peechi, the workshop brought together around 25 participants from across India.

Led by a team of experts, including Pipat Soisook, Professor at Prince of Songkla University in Taiwan; Isabelle Mandl from Bat Conservation International; Rohit Chakravarty from the Nature Conservation Foundation; Shrihari Raman, Assistant Professor at Kerala Agricultural University and researcher at the Kerala Forest Research Institute; P. Balakrishnan, Head of the Wildlife Biology Department at the Kerala Forest Research Institute; researcher Nithin Divakar, and Baheerathan Murukavel, a researcher from IISER Mohali, the workshop offered invaluable insights into the world of bats.

This marks the third consecutive year that the Kerala Forest Research Institute has hosted this workshop, further strengthening its commitment to bat conservation. Over a 100 enthusiasts from various parts of the country have already received training through this initiative, gaining crucial knowledge and skills in bat research and conservation.

Dr. P. Balakrishnan says these workshops are essential to equip researchers with the expertise needed to address critical challenges such as habitat destruction, including the loss of trees that serve as bat habitats, as well as the growing threat of zoonotic diseases like Nipah, which pose significant risks to human health and survival.

In addition to training and capacity building in bat taxonomy, acoustics, field sampling, telemetry, and conservation, the Wildlife Biology Division of the KFRI is also engaged in studies on endangered species such as the Salim Ali’s fruit bat and Andersen’s Roundleaf Bat. Other ongoing projects include a citizen science programme on Indian fruit bats, the taxonomic revision of cryptic bats, and research on bat populations in the Lakshadweep and Maldives archipelagos.

With the Health department issuing an alert in the five districts identified as Nipah hotspots in Kerala, discussions at the workshop highlighted the need for more scientific studies beyond just medical approaches. There is an urgent necessity to investigate the biology of bats, the impact of climate change, and the potential transmission of the virus through other animals.