Short-tailed Roundleaf bat

Short-tailed Roundleaf Bat:

conserving West Africa’s emblematic bat species 2024-2030

"In the end, we conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught." - Baba Dioum, Senegalese poet* Short-tailed Roundleaf Bat (Hipposideros curtus)

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa

Contents Pages 2 ……………………….. Section 1 - Organization Information 3 ……………………….. SMACON (the lead organization)

Section 1: Organization Information

5 ……………………….. Acknowledgements 6 ........................... Foreword 6 ……………………….. Abbreviations 7 ……………………….. Dr Iroro Tanshi – Project Leader 9 ……………………….. Organogram 9 ……………………….. Section 2 – Species Information 10 ……………………… History and Taxonomy 10 ……………………… Morphology and Physiology 11 ……………………… Distribution 11 ……………………… Abundance 13 ……………………… Status and Population Trend 13 ……………………… Habitat Use 15 ……………………… Major Threats 16 ……………………… Use in Trade 16 ……………………… Ex situ Status 16 ……………………… Previous Conservation Actions and Implications 19 ……………………… Data Gaps 20 ……………………… Section 3 – Conservation Action Plan 20 ……………………… Overview 21 ……………………… Vision 21 ……………………... Issues relevant to the long-term viability of the Short-tailed Roundleaf bat 22 ……………………… Goals, objectives, rationale and tactics 28 ………………….…… Overview – Goals, objectives, tactics and timeline 30 ………………………. References 31 ………………………. Letter of Support from Co-Chair IUCN Bat Specialist Group Fig. 1. Dr Iroro Tanshi, Co-Director of SMACON, in the human-modified forests of Cross River National Park, Nigeria

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa

Media 1. SMACON has developed an active, output-based approach to bat conservation in the richly biodiverse, but threatened forests of southeast Nigeria please click

SMACON SMACON (Small Mammal Conservation Organization) is a non-profit organization committed to challenging West Africa’s ecosystem degradation and extinction crisis.

Registered in 2016 and based in Nigeria, it delivers community-led programs that safeguard local livelihoods and focus on at-risk, conservation priority species and habitats. All projects are set within the context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4, 5, 10, 13 & 15).

In a continent where conservation focuses on mega-fauna, SMACON is the only in-country (or international) organization dedicated to the protection of highly vulnerable West African small-bodied mammals through evidence-based conservation. SMACON raises the profile of these critically important taxa, which include two of the

most diverse orders of mammals, rodents and bats.

Together, they comprise some 55% of all mammal species in Africa and deliver irreplaceable ecosystem services (Kingdon et al., 2013).

Both SMACON’s executive directors have received a series of international awards for their bat/small mammal conservation work, including most recently UCLA’s 2023 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award. They also both received their PhDs from the globally preeminent bat research/conservation lab. in Texas Tech University, USA. In addition, SMACON boasts seven scientific/office-based management staff, two consultants, and 64 communitybased staff who supervise and lead its conservation work.

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa All are trained in aspects of bat/small mammal conservation.

SMACON has an exceptionally strong network of international colleagues who have helped deliver training, mentoring, and technical support in bat/small mammal related activities. It has established a reputation for receiving and managing international grants from prestigious funding bodies, including BCI, CLP, Future for Nature, Otter Fonds, Rufford, Washington Research Foundation, WCN, Whitley Award, and has an efficient administration, transparent audited accounts, and an annual budget of $150–220k over the last three years. .

mammal research, and community-based conservation throughout West Africa. Breaking down traditional 'barriers' between the science communities from French, English, and Spanish speaking countries, it is bringing together these diverse scientists for training workshops.

The workshops are focused on bats and other small mammals, including rodents, pangolins and small primates, have led to evermore extensive programs of collaboration.

...SMACON is leading Africa’s only Fire Ranger force that prevent wildfires from destroying critical habitat for imperiled groups like bats and pangolins...

SMACON recognizes the moral imperative of democratizing education, and understands the vast, untapped potential that in-country scientists, students, and communities represent in terms of solving local, regional, and international environmental challenges.

Therefore, in addition, to its on-the-ground conservation programs, it works with educators from West Africa, and the global north, to promote carefully designed studentled, hypothesis-driven research that advances understanding of the West African biome.

Fig. 2. SMACON has received grants and awards to fund its project work from a wide range of prestigious international donors

Together with national, regional and international partners, SMACON has an enviable status for its collaborative research and conservation programs. For example, it is leading Africa’s only Fire Ranger force that prevent wildfires from destroying critical habitat for imperiled groups like bats, pangolins, and great apes. This is a threat that is intensifying under climate change.

Meanwhile, SMACON is developing and enhancing centers of excellence in biodiversity, and especially bat/small ………

Media 2. Aicha Gomeh-Djame from Cameroon is studying the impact of road expansion on bats in the Congo forest. She tells how SMACON made this possible by providing training workshops, equipment, and most important of all, a mentorship program with international experts - to learn more, please click.

young female African students. It is committed to ensure that the new generation of scientists are gender equitable, with women given equal opportunities, skills, and tools to become the conservation leaders of tomorrow.

...in 2023, SMACON has hosted training workshops in Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, and Nigeria – each has been focused on aspects of bat/small mammal research and conservation...

With a vision to train future in-country leaders in the biodiversity sciences, SMACON selects bright, passionate MSc and PhD students who receive project support. This support includes expert-led SMACON residential training field courses in bat/small mammal research, the loan of equipment, the provision of a small field stipend, and mentorship by renowned national and international experts. It especially focuses on building capacity amongst equitable,

Fig. 3. Fire Rangers being trained as part of SMACON’s prevent wildfires program in southeast Nigeria

Fig. 5. SMACON staff regularly work with local schools.

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa

Fig. 6. The ‘Curtus Network’ includes forestry officers of the Cross River Forestry Commission, SMACON staff, and teams from the University of Ebolowa (Cameroon) , BBPP (Equatorial Guinea), and Harrison Institute (UK) Fig. 7. Without the active and enthusiastic support of the village communities, SMACON and the ‘Curtus Network’ could not implement their research and conservation program for the Roundleaf bat

Acknowledgements We would like to thank all members of ‘The Curtus Network’ who in addition to SMACON have made this application possible. They include: Members of Buanchor, Boje, Katabang, Iruan and Olum village communities: These comprise a range of smallholder farmers at the base of the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, who farm cocoa, banana, and cassava, together with the small-holder farmers and cattle herders on the Obudu Plateau – part of the Cross River National Park (Okwangwo Division). Without their interest and active cooperation over the last six years, there would be no project and the Roundleaf bat would be facing a far less positive future.

Cross River Forestry Commission: SMACON has an excellent working relationship with the Commission, who have allowed us to work extensively in the Cross River National Park. Soon we will sign an MoU that not only includes habitat and species protection but also collaboration to set up a small field station in the wildlife ……………

sanctuary. The station will serve as the base for coordinating the wildfire prevention program (fire management center) and for visiting researchers. It will also provide a lowland camp for rangers during patrols.

University of Ebolowa, Cameroon: Led by Professor Dr Eric Bakwo-Fils, a national and international expert on African bats, the university team includes Flore Agodigo (Fig. 40) who will undertake her PhD on aspects of the Roundleaf bat’s ecology and conservation. Eric and his students have spent many years studying the impact of human modification of habitats on Cameroon’s bat fauna.

BBPP (Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program): Based in Bioko, which is part of Equatorial Guinea, BBPP has been studying and conserving endangered species on the island since 1998. It has an academic relationship with the Universidad Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial (UNGE), Malabo and has until recently focused principally on the conservation of critically endangered primates and turtles (learn more).

Harrison Institute, UK is a registered NGO which is committed to supporting biodiversity conservation through research, capacity building and working with local communities. It seeks to enable and empower the next generation of young biodiversity scientists and conservationists and focuses its training programs on early career scientists and students who are committed to challenging the extinction crisis and ecosystem degradation, and who are looking for answers within the context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (learn more).

Fig. 8 Caroline Olory (left) is Nigeria’s first female Conservator/Controller of a Nigerian national park and is a strong supporter of the action plan to save the endangered Roundleaf bat. Here, she is speaking in July 2023 at a SMACON training workshop in Abuja. To learn more about Caroline, click here.

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa

Foreword

Abbreviations Please note that throughout this application ‘Roundleaf bat’ is used as shortened version of Short-tailed Roundleaf bat (Hipposideros curtus). In this context, it does not refer to any other roundleaf bat within the family Hipposideridae.

BBPP: Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program BCI: Bat Conservation International CLP: Conservation Leadership Program GBatNet: Global Union of Bat Diversity Networks IUCN: The International Union for the Conservation of Nature SMACON: Small Mammal Conservation Organization UCLA: University of California WCN: Wildlife Conservation Network WCS: Wildlife Conservation Society *We thank BBPP, Bioko for drawing our attention to the quotation of Baba Dioum used on the front cover of this application. We also acknowledge Medellin et al. (2000) for the basis of the quotation on the back cover.

Fig. 9. Dr Iroro Tanshi with some of the young SMACON staff who contributed to the SMACON-led workshop in Abuja, July 2023

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa She graduated from the prestigious ‘Tigga Kingston bat lab’. – Professor Kingston is one of the world’s leading bat researchers; is chair of the IUCN Bat group; and amongst many other leadership roles is chair of GBatNet, a global network of bat researchers and conservationists. This has ensured that Iroro’s international network is extensive and entirely relevant to this project.

...Iroro co-founded SMACON in 2016 to help conserve the Roundleaf bat and other highly endangered small mammals in West Africa’s threatened forests...

Media 4. Iroro is happy to talk about conservation to a wide range of audiences. Here, she addresses an academic conference about the Roundleaf bat – to learn more, please click

Previous to this, Iroro studied Environmental Science as an undergraduate at the University of Benin, Nigeria. This provided a broad-based exposure to sustainability concepts long before conservation took hold in Nigeria.

Media 3. Dr Iroro Tanshi has won numerous awards for her conservation work. Here, Sir David Attenborough discusses her program for saving the Short-tailed Roundleaf Bat – to learn more, please click

Dr Iroro Tanshi – Project Leader Iroro Tanshi is a multi-award-winning early career Nigerian ecologist and conservationist. A communicator and educator, her work embodies science and field-based conservation. Her focus is saving threatened small mammal/bat species from the brink of extinction.

Iroro discovered the first Nigerian Roundleaf bat in January 2016. This was the first sighting of the bat (globally) for 45 years.

Subsequently, together with SMACON staff, she has raised over $400,000 for the conservation of the species and its habitats and has dedicated much of career to the protection of the bat and other fauna in the extraordinarily diverse forests of Southeast Nigeria. She has received ………….…….. ……………

numerous international awards for this work including the Whitley Award and most recently, the highly prestigious UCLA’s 2023 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award (learn more).

She is co-executive director of SMACON (Small Mammal Conservation Organization), which she co-established with Dr Benneth Obitte in 2016 (for details of SMACON, see above).

Her successful academic career culminated in 2022, when she was awarded her PhD by Texas Tech University, USA. Her thesis focused on a conservation assessment of bat assemblages in the Afi Mountain/Cross River National Park, southwest Nigeria. ……

With a training that encompassed, law, geography, social sciences, agriculture, zoology and botany, Iroro dreamed of an academic career in conservation biology. To meet her goal, she completed two masters in ‘Biodiversity and Conservation’, the first at the University of Benin, and the other at the University of Leeds, UK.

...Iroro is a natural communicator as well as a scientist and conservationist...

During her master’s at the University of Benin, Iroro launched the Eidolon bat monitoring program in Nigeria, part of a pan-African program that demonstrated a declining population trend for the species. The combination of this monitoring program and community outreach across multiple sites in southern Nigeria initiated Iroro’s near decade and half conservation career. She continues to support the Eidolon monitoring and has used it as a training opportunity for student volunteers, launching multiple conservation careers.

Fig. 10. Iroro, with two of the SMACON staff, inspects a SMACON Wildfire ‘traffic light’ sign for fire risk in southeast Nigeria.

Media 5. Below: Iroro not only trains students and staff in conservation biology but also how to develop and manage a conservation project– to learn more, please click

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa So, where does this passion for nature come from? For Iroro, it came from her father’s love of nature and his love for his daughter. She grew up watching nature documentaries recorded on VCR tapes by her very strict father who allowed screen time only when it was educational. Documentaries comprised 90% of her TV time.

...Iroro realized that with determination, passion, and a stubborn belief, she, a young female African conservationist, could make a difference...

So, despite having a limited outdoor experience, documentaries became her gateway into the world of biodiversity and conservation. However, all those documentaries described far flung places, with the occasional mention of work from Kruger National Park in ………….…….. ……………

Media 6. Al Jazeera featured the bat conservation work of Drs Iroro Tanshi and Benneth Obitte in a short documentary. The film won three international awards (including at the Cannes World Film Festival) - to learn more, please click.

Iroro is a natural communicator as well as a scientist and conservationist. In 2016, she featured on a CNN documentary on the forests of the Afi Mountains. More recently, Al Jazeera made an award-winning film about her work (Media 6). She was also featured on the outreach of BOHRN (Bat One Health Research Network), where she talked about the complex, and still little understood, links between bats and disease.

She has a natural gift of empathy, which allows her to interact at ease with national and international audiences.

She is equally at home with local villagers as with ambassadors and senior ministers. Whether in front of the camera talking to a general audience or speaking to a specialist science conference, Iroro is confident, persuasive, charismatic, and informed (Media 4). With the SMACON staff, she is an educator, helping to explain the philosophy and technical details of science, conservation, and running a project and organization. ………….…….. ……………

Fig. 11. Below: Iroro’s work is frequently featured in the news- to learn more, please click.

South Africa or the Serengeti. West Africa, much less Nigeria was never featured. Thus, conservation always felt like a foreign concept.

A post-graduation field course changed all this and Iroro realized that with determination, passion, and a stubborn belief, she, a young female African conservationist, could make a difference. From the beginning, much of her work has been funded from her own resources, which meant living simply and going without.

Life for a young conservationist is not easy but passion is passion. There is so much to do, and we only have one life.

She is her father’s daughter. ………….…….. ……………

Fig. 12. Below: Dr Iroro Tanshi with Co-Director and founder of SMACON, Dr Benneth Obitte; both Iroro and Ben received their PhDs from Texas Tech University

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa

Organisational chart for Implementation Team

Species Information o, where does this passion for nature come from? For Iroro, it came from her father’s love of nature and his love for his daughter. She grew up watching nature documentaries recorded on VCR tapes by her very strict father who allowed screen time only when it was educational. Documentaries comprised 90% of herTV time.

South Africa or the Serengeti. West Africa, much less Nigeria was never featured. Thus, conservation always felt like a ………….…….. ……………

………….…….. ……………

Al Jazeera featured Iroro’s bat research and conservation work (together with Dr Benneth Obitte) in a short documentary to learn more, please click.

Section 2: Species Information

Fig. 13. Short-tailed Roundleaf Bat (Hipposideros curtus)

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa found in western West Africa (ACR, 2022) and Aellen’s Leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros marisae), also rare and also confined to western West Africa (ACR, 2022).

Although reported to be confused with the Striped Leafnosed bat (Hipposideros vittatus) (Mickleburg et al., 2008; IUCN, 2009), this is clearly an error as vittatus is over twice the size of curtus, and with a completely different hair color.

The Short-tailed Roundleaf bat was first collected by the Reverend George W. Schwab in 1920. It was subsequently described as a species new to science by G.M. Allen in December 1921, with a type locality of Littoral province, on the Sanaga River, Sakbayeme [4.05371 N 10.56959 E], Cameroon (Allen, 1921). The holotype is held in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. The specimen number is MCZ 19305, adult ♀, preserved in alcohol with skull not removed.

Fig. 14. The Short-tailed Roundleaf bat with its characteristically large ears and distinctive noseleaf structure

History and Taxonomy The Short-tailed Roundleaf bat (Hipposideros curtus) belongs to the Old World Leaf-nosed bats (family Hipposideridae). The specific name curtus is the Latin for short and refers to the comparative length of the tail.

This family, which is found in the tropics and subtropics of Asia, Africa, and Australasia, is characterized by the complex, distinctive, and highly specialized noseleaves of the different genera and species.

The Short-tailed Roundleaf bat, also known as the Shorttailed Leaf-nosed bat, currently has no known subspecies, although its hair color, in particular, is somewhat variable throughout its range. It belongs to the bicolor speciesgroup, but its phylogeny is still little understood.

Based on morphology, it is most similar to Jones’s Leafnosed bat (Hipposideros jonesi), a rare species primarily

Fig. 15. Right, the noseleaves of selected African Roundleaf/Leaf-nosed bats. They show the characters that are used to discriminate between the different species, including the Short-tailed Roundleaf bat (noseleaf [c] – top right).

The species represented are: a: Cyclops Leaf-nosed bat Doryrhina cyclops, b: Jones’s Roundleaf bat H. jonesi, c: Shorttailed Roundleaf bat H. curtus, d: Aellen’s Leaf-nosed bat H. marissae, e: Giant Leafnosed bat H. gigas, f: Aba Roundleaf bat H. abae.

Taken from Figure 68 in Happold and Happold (2013), which is based on Rosevear (1965: Figure 57).

Subsequently, Sanderson (1937) described another new species of small Roundleaf bat (Hipposideros sandersoni) from near Mamfe [05 47 N 09 18 E]. This was originally situated in Nigeria but is currently located in Cameroon.

However, Hill (1963) included sandersoni as a junior synonym of curtus, a view that has been accepted by all subsequent reviewers, including Rosevear (1965), Happold & Happold (2013) and ACR (2022).

size coupled with its wing structure ensures a low flight speed but high maneuverability, which is favored by bats living in confined spaces in cluttered environments. Here it probably hunts its prey by a combination of flying through the forest (‘slow-hawking’), perching on a branch and swooping on its prey as it passes (known as ‘fly- catching’) and possibly gleaning bugs from leaves and branches.

Morphology and physiology

The bat’s complex noseleaf structure, coupled with the character of the bat’s echolocation call, also favors living in a confined space.

The Short-tailed Roundleaf bat is small and has short broad wings, which have a low aspect ratio* and a low wingloading*. This means the bat is ideally adapted to live in the ‘narrow space’ of forest interiors. Here, its small *: aspect ratio – calculated by dividing the square of wingspan by the wing-area (m2); wing-loading – calculated by dividing the mass (kg) by wing-area (m2) (Happold and Happold, 2013). **: measurements for Cameroon individuals (Happold and Happold, 2013) and for Nigerian individuals (Tanshi et al., 2022).

...Unlike many other small species of bat, this species is instantly recognizable in the field...

Typically for hipposiderid bats, the call comprises a short constant frequency signal, with a brief frequencymodulated start and finish. The frequency of maximum energy is 94.2 kHz, 92.4–96.1 kHz (Tanshi et al., 2021).

Fig. 16. Below: the typical look of the Short-tailed Roundleaf bat when hanging in a cave roost.

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa This call structure provides a lot of detailed information about the foraging habitat but with a limited range. The latter is not a problem as with a slow flight and cluttered environment, it has no need to ‘see’ far into the distance.

The Short-tailed Roundleaf bat can be distinguished from all other Roundleaf/Leaf-nosed bats by its: •

•

• •

small size (forearm length – Cameroon**: 43.7 mm, 42-47 mm, n=21; Nigeria: 45.0 mm, 41.5–47.5, n=23) and body mass (Nigeria: 7.2 g, 5.0–8.5 g, n=20) combined with: prominent internarial septum of the noseleaf, which divides the nostrils from each other, is enlarged to form a cushion-like pad, which partially covers the nostrils (nares) large ears, in length and breadth (ear length Cameroon: 18.1 mm, 15-22 mm, n=18) echolocation, FmaxE = 94.2 (range: 92.4–96.1) kHz.

Additional characters include: • •

• •

•

short tail, which barely exceeds the extended femur (tail length: 20.7 mm, 18-23 mm, n=16) short third digit of the wing – combined length of third metacarpal and its proximal phalanx scarcely exceeding (1 mm) the length of the forearm, as compared to 6 mm in other similar-sized species noseleaf broad, with well-defined anterior emargination posterior component of the noseleaf smoothly crescent-shaped above and divided by three vertical ridges into four cells two very small, poorly developed, and scarcely visible lateral accessory leaflets on each side of the horseshoe (anterior noseleaf).

The skull is unremarkable for a small Roundleaf/Leaf-nosed bat, with a skull length of 17.0 mm (16.3-17.5 mm, n=13) for Cameroon and 17.5 mm (17.2-17.7 mm) for Nigeria. In the dentition, the anterior upper premolar is small, slightly extruded, and in contact with the canine and the larger posterior premolar.

Distribution The known distribution of the Roundleaf bat includes southeast Nigeria, Cameroon, and Bioko Island and possibly Rio Muni in Equatorial Guinea (Fig. 18).

It is most widely distributed in Cameroon with 10 locality records from South, Littoral, Southwestern and Centre Regions. However, with the exception of one sighting at Ndian (on the edge of Korup National Park), all are historical, ranging in date of collection from 1920 to 1970 (see below). The earliest known record from Equatorial Guinea was a specimen collected on Bioko Island in 1962/63, although curiously not included in Juste and Ibáñez, 1994). It was subsequently rediscovered on the island in 2023 (Tanshi pers. comm.). There is an unconfirmed record from Rio Muni on the mainland. The ten records from Nigeria are all recent and confined to Cross River State (Tanshi et al., 2022).

The locality records are as follows: Cameroon Pre-2000 Kumba, Lake Barombi, Meme Division, Southwest Region: 4.65 N, 9.433333 – 19-23 February 1966 (ROM x 17 individuals): forest Lake Barombi, Meme Division, Southwest Region: 4.65 N, 9.4 – 26 January 1970 (ROM x 1 individual) Mamfe, Manyu Division, Southwest Region: 5.757890 N, 9.31202 E – 10 May 1948 (NHMUK x 2 individuals): house/forest Mungo River, nr. Kumba, Meme Division, Southwest Region: 4.528816 N, 9.505453 E – date?? (probably pre-1950) (NHMUK x 1 individual): forest Mvoutesi li, Mve li, 60 km west of Yaounde, Ayos Road, South Region: 3.25 N, 11.8 E – 30 August 1969 (ROM x 6 individuals): forest – However, these co-ordinates would place it south of Yaounde.

Ngam, 10 km SSW of Sangmelima, Lobo Division, South Region: 2.7833 N, 11.9 E – 4 December 1953 and 18 January 1954 (MHNG x 4 individuals): forest

Sakbayeme, Sanaga-Maritime Department, Littoral Region: 4.033333 N, 10.56667 E – 1 January 1920 (MCZ x1 individual): forest

Equatorial Guinea

Sangmelima (6 km NNW of), Foulassi, Lobo Division, South Region: 2.98333 N 11.96667 E – 23 May 1953 and 18 January 1954 (MHNG x 11 individuals): cave

Concepcion, Bioko: 3.401283 N, 8.779903 e – 1962/63: forest

Yoko (34 km south of), Mbam-et-Kim Department, Centre Region: 5.533333 N, 12.31667 E – 9 February 1970 (ROM x 2 individuals): forest

Pre-2000

Rio Muni: 2.044746 N, 9.90108 E?? - house (needs confirmation) Post 2000 Grand Caldera, Bioko (550 m a.s.l.): 3.32997 N, 8.47977 E – 2023 (Tanshi et al. x 1 individual): forest.

Post 2000 Ndian, edge of Korup National Park, Southwest Region: 5.012984 N, 8.974589 E – 25 May 2017 (iNaturalist x 1 individual): cave

Nigeria Post 2000 Afi Mountain, Cross River State (150 m a.s.l.): 6.306398705 N, 9.009334 E – 28 & 31 January 2016, 23 January 2017 (Tanshi et al. x 3 individuals): forest Afi Mountain, Cross River State (400 m a.s.l.): 6.306743104 N, 8.986745 E – 4 February 2017 (Tanshi et al. x 1 individual): forest Afi Mountain, Cross River State (700 m a.s.l.): 6.316245071 N, 8.975959 E – 6-10 February 2017 (Tanshi et al. x 6 individuals): forest Afi Mountain, Cross River State (150 m a.s.l.): 6.306398705 N, 9.009334 E – 13 December 2017 (Tanshi et al. x 2 individuals): forest Cross River National Park, Cross River State (800 m a.s.l.): 6.40682175 N, 9.320453 E – 3 April 2017 and 2018 (Tanshi et al. x 9 individuals): cave entrance Cross River National Park, Cross River State (400 m a.s.l.): 6.386433511 N, 9.311347 E – 11 & 12 April 2017 (Tanshi et al. x 3 individuals): forest Cross River National Park, Cross River State (400 m a.s.l.): 6.38558 N, 9.31123 E – 2023 (Tanshi et al. x 2 individuals): forest Cross River National Park, Cross River State (500 m a.s.l.): 6.38929 N, 9.32292 E – 2023 (Tanshi et al. x 3 individuals): cave

Fig. 17. Short-tailed Roundleaf bat photographed in a cave at Ndian, Cameroon © Johnny Wilson (iNaturalist)

Abundance This is a rarely encountered species that had not been captured or observed in the wild since the 1970s until recent surveys conducted in Nigeria (Tanshi, 2020) and subsequently in Bioko (Equatorial Guinea) (Tanshi pers. comm.). It appears to occur in small and fragmented populations with only a few (ca 10-15) individuals sharing a roost (Tanshi, 2020).

In the Afi Mountains, Nigeria, the species was always recorded in small numbers (1–8 individuals) on any given transect and often not recorded at other transects in the same elevational band, suggesting a patchy distribution within the forest and perhaps a small home range and flocking behavior (Tanshi et al., 2022).

SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa

Fig. 18. Above: Global (known) distribution of the Short-tailed Roundleaf bat. Each dot represents a verified locality, black dots represent recent records (post 2000) and grey dots are historical records (1920-1999). The record from Rio Muni, Equatorial Guinea is not confirmed. The background map is of forest loss from 2010 to 2022. (Global Forest Watch, 2023).

Fig. 19. Top left: Map of African terrestrial ecosystems (Figure 2.2 in Burgess et al. 2004).

Fig. 20. Bottom left: Map of ecosystem threats (Diaw et al., 2018).

Fig. 21. Top right: Map of African ombrotypes (climate based on rainfall) (Figure 5 in Sayre et al., 2013) Fig. 22. Bottom right: Map of African land surface forms (Figure 1 in Sayre et al., 2013)

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa

Status and Population Trend In the 2020 IUCN Red List, based on a May 2019 assessment, this species was listed as Endangered under criterion A2(c) based on a suspected past population size reduction of more than 50% over the past 15 years (three generations; generation length = 5 years).

It was stated that the population decline is continuing due to loss of some previously known roosts, confirmed occupancy of only one out of 35 caves assessed in Nigeria, the limited availability of undisturbed roosts, the species being limited by quality forest, and ongoing deforestation within its range, significantly reducing the area of occupancy.

Red List Assessments • • • •

2020 – Endangered (EN) A2(c) (Tanshi et al., 2020) 2008 – Vulnerable (VU) 2004 – Vulnerable (VU) 1996 – Lower Risk/near threatened (LR/NT)

Fig. 23. Two of the SMACON team in Cross-Sanaga-Bioko Coastal Forest, which comprises moist broadleaf forest

Protected areas: Mickleburgh et al. (2008) [in IUCN (2009)] report that this species has not been recorded from any protected areas. However, with its discovery in Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, Nigeria, this is no longer the case. There is an urgent need to determine if the species is also found in protected areas in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea and potentially Gabon. This requires that resources are available to ground-truth the presence of the Roundleaf bat in areas that appear to have suitable habitats throughout this hypothetical range.

Protected areas that are relevant to the Roundleaf bat comprise: • •

•

Nigeria: Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary.

Cameroon: three national parks, Korup, Barossi, and Ndongeri (and potentially Mount Cameroon), BanyangMbo Wildlife Sanctuary and the wildlife reserves of Rumpi Hills and Eb. Equatorial Guinea: the Pico Basile National Park and Gran Caldera Scientific Reserve, Bioko.

Habitat degradation: Tanshi (2020) reported that this species is threatened by the continued degradation and clear-cutting of its forest habitat. WCS Nigeria have been working to reduce forest loss through two multi-milliondollar projects, one protecting forest watersheds in Cross River, Nigeria, in order to supply clean drinking water and a transboundary project with Cameroon to protect gorillas and their habitat.

In addition, in Nigeria and Cameroon the species is threatened by wildfire outbreaks arising from slash and burn agriculture in surrounding farmlands (I. Tanshi, pers. obs in Tanshi (2020)). This threat is already being addressed by SMACON in selected areas of southeast Nigeria. It is vital that this program of fire prevention is enhanced in Nigeria and expanded to Cameroon. It is not an issue in Bioko, Equatorial Guinea, as the climate is too wet. This program forms a central part of this current application.

The species is heavily dependent on undisturbed caves and has been known to desert previously occupied caves due to disturbance or cave destruction (Mickleburgh et al., 2008; IUCN, 2009; Tanshi, 2020). SMACON have developed the protocols and community programs for this in Nigeria.

There is a need for this to be enhanced and expanded to different areas of southeast Nigeria, and introduced to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, and potentially Equatorial Guinea. This program also forms an important part of this current application.

Habitat Use The Roundleaf bat appears to be restricted to the remaining areas of intact moist broadleaf forests within the Cross-Sanaga-Bioko Coastal Forest and Atlantic Equatorial Coastal Forest (terminology after Burgess et al., 2004). These forests are known to be globally outstanding for biodiversity and endemism richness (Fig. 25), including bats (Fig. 24) (Burgess et al., 2004, Herkt et al., 2016). They are included in the Cameroon and Gabon Lowlands EBA (Endemic bird area) (Stattersfield et al., 1998) and support 50% of West Africa’s 7000-8000 endemic plants, including 200 restricted to the ecoregion.

These forests once extended from southeast Nigeria to western and coastal Cameroon, Bioko Island and south to Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Despite ongoing and rapid deforestation, they still comprise one of Africa’s largest contiguously (nominally) protected forests together with the highest density of karst and boulder cave systems.

They are characterized by escarpments, hills and low mountains (Fig. 22) and have extensive rainfall and high humidity (Fig. 21).

Within this forest, the bat’s area of occupancy is disjointed, as its critical habitat elements appear to be: (1) an elevation of 0 – 800 meters; (2) an overlap of caves and intact forest; and (3) roosts and foraging sites near to rivers. ………….…….. ……………

Fig. 24. Predicted African bat diversity – highest species diversity in orange and reds (Figure 2 in Herkt et al., 2016).

Fig. 25. Map of African faunal and floral richness and endemism (Figure 4.6 in Burgess et al., 2004)

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa SMACON data shows that this bat species is not found in degraded forest and that they will abandon areas where there have been fire events. Meanwhile, all records are restricted to caves (which appear to be their exclusive roosting sites) or within 500 meters of caves (which is their foraging area).

The caves include true limestone caves, for example in Etankpini (Cross River State). Here the caves are either subterranean or above ground karsts and the roost size varies from 1 x 1 m compartments to larger caves in tower karsts. Roosts also include ‘pseudo-caves’ comprising boulders that provide a cave-like habitat or overhanging rocks, for example in Afi Mountains. Within these cave habitats, males live singly whilst females will form maternal colonies. SMACON has data that this species seems to be exceptionally sensitive to cave disturbance and will abandon their cave roost if there is any human ingress of the cave. If left undisturbed individuals can use a single cave roost for over five years. ………….…….. ……………

Fig. 26. In many areas, the moist broadleaf forests have been highly modified with numerous villages and farms.

Today, the Cross-Sanaga-Bioko Coastal Forest and Atlantic Equatorial Coastal Forest have been highly modified in all areas outside the protected areas, and in many places also within the protected areas. The remaining forest is enmeshed within a predominantly agricultural landscape, comprising numerous small holder farms. The main cash crops are cocoa and bananas, and there are small-scale oil palm estates. The primary threats to forest integrity are wildfires, illegal logging, hunting, and farm encroachment.

According to Burgess at al. (2004), the Cross-Sanaga-Bioko Coastal Forest “is characterized by the increasingly rugged topography in the foothills of the Nigerian-Cameroon Mountains. It is one of the wettest areas in tropical Africa.

In the southwestern foothills of Mount Cameroon and on southwest Bioko, rainfall can exceed 10,000 mm per annum with little seasonal variation. Away from the montane influence rainfall averages 3,000 mm per annum along the coast and falls to around 2,000 mm inland.

Humidity is always high, rarely dropping below 90 percent.

Temperatures range from a maximum between 27°C and 33°C to a minimum between 15°C and 21°C, with minor seasonal differences. A number of river systems drain this ecoregion into the Atlantic Ocean. The Cross River forms the northern boundary of the ecoregion, and the Sanaga River forms its southern boundary. The principal vegetation is coastal evergreen rainforest, with mixed moist semi-evergreen rain forest further inland. The Bioko lowland forest shares close biological affinities with the adjacent mainland forests because it was connected to the mainland during lower sea levels during the last ice age and therefore is included in this ecoregion.” (Burgess et al., 2004).

Fig. 27. Major rivers and forest refugia may explain the high diversity but limited ranges of West Africa’s flora and fauna (Aellen et al., 2021).

Recent studies have suggested that the area included forest refugia, which led to species diversification. Others have argued that the rivers, including Cross River and Sanaga River were important barriers to movement and influenced speciation events (Allen et al. 2021). This may help explain why the Short-tailed Roundleaf bat has such a restricted distribution.

Major Threats The major threats to the Roundleaf bat are habitat degradation/loss and disturbance, with the threat type and intensity varying between the host countries, namely: • •

•

clearing additional forest land for crops (farm expansion), especially cash crops such as cocoa. It is also used by farmers to clear debris on existing farmlands. This traditional brush burning technique aids soil conditioning and weed removal ahead of the annual planting season.

Nigeria: forest degradation/loss, wildfires, and cave disturbance from bat hunters and local villagers Cameroon: forest degradation/loss, wildfires, and cave disturbance from tourists, in addition to bat hunters and local villagers Equatorial Guinea: forest degradation/loss and cave disturbance by tourists and hunters.

Habitat degradation/loss is impacted by: Logging Logging is a particular problem in West Africa (Global Forest Watch, 2023). In 2022, Nigeria lost 105 kha of natural forest and Cameroon lost 147 kha. Within the known distribution area of the Roundleaf bat, the ecosystems have been designated ‘endangered’ and ‘critical’ (Fig. 20) and much of the Cross-Sanaga-Bioko Coastal Forest and Atlantic Equatorial Coastal Forest are undergoing particularly high and unsustainable levels of deforestation (Fig. 18). Illegal logging is present in protected and unprotected areas and park rangers have a constant fight to protect forests from numerous organized and disparate loggers.

Threat status: Major threat to Roundleaf bat in Nigeria and Cameroon. The situation is also critical in the coastal areas of Equatorial Guinea, which may also hold populations of the Roundleaf bat.

Wildfires Roundleaf bats abandon forest areas where there have been recent fires and avoid areas with a fire history. Fires in the Cross-Sanaga-Bioko Coastal Forest and Atlantic Equatorial Coastal Forest are anthropogenic in origin and are not part of a natural process. They are deliberately started by farmers who wish to encroach on the forest by ….

Fig. 28. Fire burns all but the largest trees causing a catastrophic reduction in foraging opportunities for the Roundleaf bat

Post-fire, some old trees remain standing, medium age to young saplings are burned. This drastically reduces foraging opportunities for most wildlife and leads to a precipitous decline in insect populations. It is catastrophic for narrow space, forest specialist bats, such as the Roundleaf bat.

All fires take place in the dry season from December to early April. The peak fire season is February. This is the driest period before the intermittent rains of March (although there is some variation now owing to climate change). Both the ground and the air are desiccated by the Harmattan winds, which occur in this season. Blowing from the north-east, they originate in the arid areas of Niger and Chad and are characterized by low humidity and almost no cloud cover. This creates optimal conditions for fires to spread rapidly.

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa principal causes of disturbance is the illegal hunting and trade of the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus), which shares roosts with the Short-tailed Roundleaf bat.

As a relatively large species that can reach up to 200 g, the Egyptian fruit bat is heavily hunted in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Bioko (Equatorial Guinea) for food. As a cave dwelling species that forms large colonies, it is an easy target and is often hunted by the thousands. The hunting process in southern Nigeria involves a lot of physical agitation that is disruptive for the disturbance-averse Roundleaf bat.

Urban and road expansion Urban expansion and its associated road expansion is a threat in southeast Nigeria. The coastal city of Calabar is expanding northwards and a range of road schemes have been variously suggested, including a $2.5 billion 6 lane ‘Superhighway’, which was planned to pass through the protected area of Cross River National Park (Fig. 26).

...cave disturbance is a major threat to the Roundleaf bat throughout its known range...

In Cameroon and Bioko, some disturbance is caused by tourists who visit the caves for recreational reasons. In addition, disturbance may come from community members, such as snail and fruit gatherers, who take shelter in the caves during bad weather or at night.

Threat status: Cave disturbance is a major threat to Roundleaf bats in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea.

Fig. 29. Fires are deliberately started by farmers and can burn for weeks out of control; they are a major threat to the Roundleaf bat’s habitat

In addition, forests are becoming less resistant to fire.

Selective logging opens-up the forests ensuring that they are more arid than in previous times during the dry season. Also, the clearing of buffer zones means that intact forest in protected areas is at greater risk from fire.

Without flight-enabled fire-fighting equipment, local communities are ill-equipped to respond once the fire is burning out-of-control, especially in mountainous areas where the terrain is extremely difficult to navigate.

Threat status: Fires area a major threat to the Roundleaf bat in Nigeria and probably in Cameroon. In Bioko, Equatorial Guinea, heavy rains throughout the year ensure that the forests are always too moist for burning. ………….…….. ……………

Mining

... in 2016, in the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, one fire destroyed 20-40% of forest area over a 4-week period and was only extinguished by the coming of the first rains...

Cave disturbance Roundleaf bats are extremely sensitive to disturbance.

Once disturbed they will abandon cave roosts. Even though the Roundleaf bat is never the target species, cave disturbance is a major threat to the bat. One of the ………….

Mining is a threat to the Roundleaf bat in the limestone rich area of in Etankpini, Cross River State, Nigeria. In 2022, the species was located in this area, which lies to the south of Cross River National Park, some 10 km north of northern Calabar city. Mining involves both the physical destruction of roosting caves and disturbance of roosts.

The use of explosives to loosen the limestone is particularly disturbing to all wildlife and especially the Roundleaf bat.

Threat status: The threat is restricted to limestone areas.

In southeast Nigeria, the threat level is currently being assessed. It is not known if mining is a threat in Cameroon.

Fig. 30. The proposed route of the Superhighway passed through Cross River National Park (Mahmoud et al., 2017)

This has been vigorously opposed by local communities and national and international agencies. The many negative impact of roads on biodiversity in African tropical forest is reviewed by Kleinschroth et al. (2019). This impact includes even small dirt roads can lead to the transformation of intact forest to human-modified landscapes.

Threat status: The negative impact of the Superhighway in Nigeria would be serious. However, it is strongly opposed.

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa

Use in Trade There are no direct use and trade issues reported for the species.

Ex Situ Status There are no ex situ populations of this species.

Previous Conservation Actions and Implications Fire prevention To help conserve the Short-tailed Roundleaf bat and associated fauna and flora of the Afi Mountain Wildlife

Sanctuary (Nigeria), SMACON has spent six years developing and implementing a fire prevention strategy.

Called the ‘Zero Wildfire Campaign’ and the ‘Early Warning Wildfire Prediction and Prevention Program’, it is a community-led program that seeks to fireproof the forest.

The approach is based on: • • •

•

training farmers on responsible fire use techniques an early-warning program that predicts fire risk based on year-round climate monitoring data (Fig. 31) a series of local bye laws through which defaulting farmers are reported to council of chiefs under community developed/enforced anti-wildfire law equipping of ‘Forest Guardians’ to conduct patrols on high-risk days and respond quickly and effectively to fires, if they do break out.

Fig. 31. SMACON staff work hard to ensure the whole community becomes involved in the fire prevention initiative and understands its importance to their own well-being

Fig. 32. SMACON’s fire prevention work has featured in many media articles in Nigeria, including this one in Fair Planet, which includes an interview with a local farmer, who praises the initiative – read more

SMACON’s work is innovative because unlike previous attempts that take an insensitive enforcement-only strategy to quell wildfires, we take a scientific and behavioral change approach. We empower the local community with knowledge, responsibility and technical equipment. This will ultimately cause cultural shifts and lead to long term sustainability.

The early-warning program is active during the dry season (December to March). It is based on a combination of daily weather data collected from Analog equipment by trained community-based villagers (‘data technicians’) and bimonthly downloads of electronic weather data. These data are then modelled, using 20-year historical datasets, to determine potential fire risk – especially based on humidity and precipitation levels. This information is communicated to the farmers thrice weekly by fire advisory signposts, where, for example, red = high risk of fire and therefore burning is prohibited.

The Forest Guardians are trained and have been equipped with fire-fighting backpacks. Some are also equipped with motorbikes to aid mobility. They typically conduct 45 patrolling days a year during the medium to high-risk periods.

...To date, SMACON’s pioneering, community-based action has fireproofed 89,000 hectares of primary forest and protected over 200,000 hectares of farmland for five years...

Since commencing community-based action against wildfires in 2017, we have direct evidence of success, from remote sensing data and ground reported data.

Specifically, no wildfires were recorded in 2018-2019 and 2022-2023 in the Wildlife Sanctuary. Between 2018-2022, satellite data showed a drastic decrease in wildfire events,

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa with zero wildfire recorded in three years (2018, 2019, 2022) and 50% reduction in 2020 (Fig 33).

In 2023, our Forest Guardians patrolled nearly 200 farms on high-risk days and responded to 31 wildfire events on farms. This is the biggest effort ever mounted to prevent wildfires at source before they reach difficult to navigate terrain. While we lack direct measures of behavior change, the reduction in fire events demonstrates a shift in behavior from risky to responsible fire use.

The above approach has proved to be highly effective, but the action has only covered <10% of high-risk farms, primarily due to limited number of equipment and transportation. Only 40% of Forest Guardians have fire protection gear. There is an urgent need to expand the coverage in southeast Nigeria and introduce the program to Cameroon.

Cave protection

•

An alternative livelihood approach to discourage hunting. Local community members are hired as field assistants and rangers, providing alternative green jobs that increase household income and contribute towards poverty reduction.

•

Understanding the drivers of hunting bats for bushmeat. Although the hunters do not target the Roundleaf bat directly, the hunting of other bats, especially the Egyptian fruit bat, can lead to considerable cave disturbance. SMACON’s previous experience of decoding the dynamics and supply chain for bat hunting and consumption, has made the organization uniquely well positioned to combat and reduce hunting pressures, through behavioral change and supplying alternative sources of protein

The Short-tailed Roundleaf bat is particularly sensitive to disturbance of its cave roosts. To ensure no human use of caves, SMACON has adopted an approach that combines: •

Community education: these events take a demographic approach and use materials that target adults separately from school age children; messaging about avoiding known roosting sites is reinforced by placing educational signposts at strategic points in the forest. These provide basic information to minimize disturbance by forest users.

•

Periodic patrols by rangers around confirmed roosts. In addition, camera traps will be used to record activities at the roost to determine use of caves in the absence of rangers.

Fig. 33. The impact of the SMACON project is shown by remotely sensed fire data from 2016-2023 of Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary. Each dot represents fire occurrence. The increase in fires in 2020 and 2021 reflect the reduction of patrols linked to Covid restrictions..

•

Alternative source of protein. To compensate hunters (who have a median income above the average for the community) and their associated communities for restrictions on hunting, SMACON has implemented in Buanchor village, which is a hotspot for bat hunting, the farming of Cane rats (Thryonomys swinderianus).

Weighing up to 10 kg, the Cane rat is a Nigerian delicacy. SMACON will monitor this pilot to determine if it does stop the collecting of bats and reduce agricultural expansion. The Cane rats feed on the invasive grasses that invade the slash and burn agricultural areas, making this a potential win-win. If the pilot is successful, it can be expanded in Nigeria and into Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.

SMACON’s seven-year cave monitoring program documented some failure, but eventually success.

Pandemic restrictions limited enforcement (ranger patrols) precipitating two separate disturbance events in 2020/2021 – a forest wildfire and hunter-caused cave disturbance at the last known roost. To overturn this loss, an intensive 21-person search team discovered three new cave roosts in Cross River National Park. These are now the focus of 24/7 protection, with active community ranger patrols.

Fig. 34. As an alternative source of protein, SMACON set up a 1,000capacity facility for African Cane rats. The colony was initiated in April 2023, with 20 animals (5 males/15 females) comprising 5 colonies/harems. This social enterprise, employing three staff to manage the program, aims to be ultimately self-sufficient. .

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa Of these three newly discovered roosts, one cave with the highest number of individuals (three bats) sits along the main forest trail. Presence of the cave along the main trail raises the likelihood that hunters, hikers or other forest users will use it as shelter, potentially disturbing the roost.

The first action was to divert the main forest trail.

Following community and national park consensus, the forest trail is now >300 m from the priority cave roosts.

Stakeholders An important part of SMACON’s conservation action for the Roundleaf bat has involved building collaborative relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. This has maximized the impact of the conservation actions.

Principal partners include: Buanchor, Boje, Katabang, Iruan and Olum communities: SMACON has worked long-term with these five communities adjacent to the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary. This includes building mutual trust and painstakingly explaining the aims, objectives and actions of the conservation program, including, most importantly, the benefits of the conservation program to the local villagers.

WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society): SMACON and WCS have overlapping objectives of reducing the impact of logging on both protected and unprotected areas of Cross River State (Fig. 37). WCS has a series of multi-million dollar projects, which includes the ‘Watershed Protection for Safe and Sustainable Water Supply’ project, funded by USAID Nigeria. Although a humanitarian project, its secondary aim is to protect forest and its associated biodiversity. WCS deploys biweekly anti-poaching, and anti-logging ranger patrols that confiscate chainsaws, and apprehend defaulters who are prosecuted according to the provisions of the law.

Other projects relevant to forest protection include the enhancement of SMART-based ranger patrols to reduce poaching, and other illegal activities in Cross River ……………

National Park and developing a transboundary initiative with Korup National Park in Cameroon to help protect rare and endangered primates and their habitats. All of these are relevant to the conservation of the Roundleaf bat.

...to protect the forest, WCS deploy biweekly anti-poaching, and anti-logging patrols that confiscate chainsaws and apprehend defaulters...

Forestry Commission and National Park Service, Nigeria: SMACON has developed a very positive relationship with the park staff, from senior management to park rangers.

These staff are responsible for the day-to-day management of protected areas. SMACON is reliant on their permission to carry out research and conservation initiatives within the forests. SMACON is also reliant on their enthusiastic collaboration to undertake ranger patrols to minimize illegal activites within the park and enforce conservation measures.

Government: SMACON has raised the profile of its work with ministers and former ministers and has received support and advice on how to proceed. Former Minister Chief Sharon Ikeazor has been particularly supportive, …….. undertaking fact-finding Fig. 35. NBSAPs of Nigeria and visits to SMACON field Cameroon. sites and contributing to SMACON-led workshops on transboundary biodiversity and climate policy (Media 7).

SMACON is delivering conservation outcomes that are in line with incountry NBSAPs (National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans).

Media 7. SMACON knows that without the support of policy makers, it is difficult to make conservation sustainable. Therefore, the organisation has built relationships with those that can impact its work, please click.

Fig. 37. SMACON has a strong relationship with local NGOs, believing that working together can maximise conservation benefits. Here, Dr Iroro Tanshi is joined by Andrew Dunn MBE, country Director of WCS Nigeria.

Fig. 36. SMACON understands the importance of networking with those that can facilitate and promote conservation, including delegates from USAID and the EU who joined a recent SMACON workshop in Abuja.

Funding agencies: In addition to grant giving/award giving organizations such as Whitley, Otter Fonds, Future for Nature, and UCLA (Fig. 2), SMACON has reached out to USAID, the EU and the Congo Basin Forest Partnership to help raise the profile of forest conservation in Nigeria.

SMACON is also part of the UCLA-NASA PANGEA project to contribute to plans for documenting climate and biodiversity loss mitigation and adaptation.

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa

Abundance: The current assessment lacks an estimate of population size. Data from our recent captures of the species suggest an optimistic estimate of <1,500. Low density levels in known roosting and foraging colonies, support this estimate. Yet without multiple intense surveys, occupancy modeling, the current estimate awaits verification with multiple lines of evidence. In spite of this low estimate, interventions that expand the species known range and density of occurrence, will increase the population size as the extent of occurrence and area of occupancy increases, and local actions drastically slow further decline.

Data Gaps Distribution: The species appears to be restricted to the Gulf of Guinea coastal forests and low to medium elevation forests of mountains on the Cameroon Volcanic line and surrounding inselbergs/fold mountain chains, reaching its southernmost point in Equatorial Guinea.

Media 8. SMACON’s actions to conserve the Roundleaf bat, include training the next generation of in-country bat experts.

Students and early career scientists are brought together from throughout West Africa to learn new approaches to research and conservation – to learn more, please click Fig. 38. SMACON’s workshops greatly benefitted students of BatCameroon, providing mentoring opportunities, skills development, and an international approach and perspective.

Capacity building SMACON sees building in-country expertise in research and conservation as a crucial part of promoting local conservation solutions to local problems.

As part of its conservation actions for conserving the Roundleaf bat, it has run a series of training workshops for students and early career scientists (Media 8). To maximise the impact of these, each student is subsequently paired with a national or international academic mentor, has the opportunity to loan specialist scientific equipment from SMACON, can apply for a small research stipend, and is assisted with preparing grant proposals to cover field costs.

Range expansion: We suspect the presence of the species in forests north and south of the known distribution. Yet, Gabon, despite holding good quality forest, remains grossly under-sampled for bats. To date, harp traps, the most effective survey equipment for the species has not been used in the area. If confirmed as a range country, the relatively good condition of forest in parts of northern Gabon and pro-conservation history of the country will be a significant step toward reducing the threat level of this species by expanding known range into potentially high suitability habitat. Thus, assessing, confirming and deploying action in Gabon is key to downlisting the species.

As

Population structure and Taxonomy: The genetic structure between mainland and Bioko Island populations remains unknown. With a small home range, it is not impossible for genetic differentiation to exist between both populations.

Despite being only 40 km from the closest point to the mainland, Bioko holds some endemic vertebrate subspecies (birds). While there is no known ……. …

Fig. 39. As with parts of Cameroon (below), Gabon remains under-sampled. It holds good quality forest that may be suitable for the Roundleaf bat.

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SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa morphological/acoustic grounds to expect differentiation, the small home range of the species calls for examination of gene flow between populations. The presence of genetic structure between island and mainland populations will aid prioritization of the most at-risk populations.

Habitat use: Movement ecology: the species is assumed to have a small home range (<500 m2) based on capture records, which are mostly in close proximity to known roosts. For conservation planning, it would be valuable to understand if there is movement between cave roosts.

Nigeria. Drivers of fruit bat hunting vary across sites and must be established to inform community-specific intervention actions.

Direct and indirect impact of all known threats: Cave disturbance and wildfires have been documented to directly threaten the survival of the species. The direct impact of logging/encroachment, mining and cave tourism on wild populations of the species remains unknown.

Roosting ecology: understanding the quality of roost and optimum roosting conditions will aid roost prioritization and further conservation actions. Furthermore, the species is suspected to maintain maternity roosts, with females roosting in larger colonies of 10 – 15 individuals and males potentially roosting in fewer numbers and singly. The role of roosting ecology in reproduction remains unknown.

SMACON has already invested heavily in developing a strategy for the sustainable conservation of the Roundleaf bat and its associated biodiversity and habitats.

This strategy follows a stepwise approach ensuring that all stakeholders feel committed, equally valued, and actively involved in the process. By definition, this takes time and involves trust-building, especially with the local communities who have to understand the motives, objectives and implications of any conservation program.

It is the communities who will be most impacted by the implementation of the strategy. It is also they who will ultimately have to safeguard the habitat of the Short-tailed Roundleaf bat effectively and sustainably.

In Nigeria, the approach to meet the conservation vision of the Short-tailed Roundleaf bat has involved six steps. It is SMACON’s aim that with Indianapolis funding, it can expand this program not just to further communities in Nigeria but also to introduce and implement the approach in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and potentially Gabon.

Dietary ecology: It is crucial to determine the prey species/composition, and dietary niche breath and how those vary across space. This will help resolve the potential role of diet in exacerbating extinction risk in the species.

Additional dietary ecology data will contribute to our understanding of prey availability and relationship with abundance. The ecosystem services of bats, including the Roundleaf bat, are important for communicating the value of the species to local communities and policy makers.

Advocate for action – together with its partners, SMACON has drawn up recommendations for conservation, highlighting ‘low-hanging fruit’ – those conservation actions that are most feasible and will attract greatest local support.

Implement action in the field – SMACON through its firefighting and cave protection programs has actively led and advanced the conservation of the Roundleaf bat.

Adaptive management – a combined behavior change and impact evaluation within an evidence-testing framework that informs further deployment or restructuring of tactics towards project goals.

SMACON believe that with Indianapolis funding the conservation strategy will change the population, density, and geographic distribution of the Short-tailed Roundleaf bat sufficiently to improve its Red List status and change its future trajectory.

It will: •

The stepwise approach comprises: Engage stakeholders – SMACON has developed working relationships with key stakeholders who can help implement the conservation of the Roundleaf bat.

Raise awareness – SMACON has invested in raising awareness not only with those most affected by its projects (local communities, NGOs, science and conservation organizations, politicians,) but also the broader community nationally and internationally through a range of media.

Habitat quality and suitability: Currently there are no habitat use and suitability models. They will be crucial for prioritizing the best areas for protection action.

Hunting: The species range overlaps with what is arguably Africa’s most intensive area for bat hunting. Specifically, hunting of a known co-roosting species, the Egyptian fruit bat, is rife across the region. Yet the indirect effects of hunting on the Roundleaf bat are unknown outside …………..

Overview

Fig. 40. To protect the Roundleaf bat, SMACON needs additional knowledge of its behaviour, ecology, distribution and genetics. Flore Agodigo from Cameroon, who took part in previous SMACON training workshops, is now undertaking her PhD on aspects of the bat’s ecology, co-supervised by SMACON staff.

Build consensus – through painstaking work in the field and at workshops, SMACON has found common ground between the different stakeholders for promoting and managing a more sustainable future for the bat and associated forests.

•

•

protect the existing roosting sites and foraging areas of currently-known populations – stabilizing populations enhance habitat quality in areas adjacent to known populations and thereby facilitate the expansion of the species into new areas – reversing the trend of population loss discover new populations of the Roundleaf bat, in previously under-studied areas of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon and implement conservation measures – increasing species resilience by ensuring protection of populations at multiple, geographically diverse sites.

SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa

Vision A thriving population of Short-tailed Roundleaf bats live within the tropical broadleaf forests of Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea. Their roosts and foraging habitats are protected by a range of sustainable community-led activities, which are dedicated to eliminating the risk of uncontrolled fires, cave disturbance, and indiscriminate and illegal habitat degradation. Through media and outreach, the species attains the status of forest guardian, an emblem of forest quality, and indicator of a rich, endemic biodiversity.

SMACON is focused on the issues of fire and roost disturbance. SMACON collaborates with WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) who have multi-million-dollar projects focused on reducing the impact of illegal and indiscriminate logging in Nigeria and Cameroon.

SMACON will also focus on discovering/rediscovering localities of the bats in Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, ensuring protection of populations at multiple, geographically diverse sites.

[21] Issues relevant to the long-term viability of the Short-tailed Roundleaf bat

SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa

Goals, objectives, rationale and tactics

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Overview - Goals, objectives, tactics and timeline

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Allen, G.M., 1921. Hipposideros curtus sp. nov. Revue zoologique africaine, 9 (2): 194.

Kleinschroth, F., N. Laporte, W.F. Laurence, et al., 2019.

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Allen, K.E., E. Greenbaum, P.M. Hime et al. 2021. Rivers, not refugia, drove diversification in arboreal, sub-Saharan African snakes. Ecology and Evolution. 2021;11:6133– 6152. Ecology and Evolution, 11: 6133–6152. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7429

Mahmoud, I.M., S. Sloan, M. Cambell, M. Alamgir, et al., 2017. Alternative routes for a proposed Nigerian superhighway to limit damage to rare ecosystems and wildlife. Tropical Conservation Science · April 2017 DOI: 10.1177/1940082917709274

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Fig. 41. SMACON is working to ensure that there is a bright future for biodiversity science and conservation in West Africa

SMACON – bending the curve of biodiversity loss in West Africa

Letter of Support from Co-Chair IUCN Bat Specialist Group

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...the Short-tailed Roundleaf bat can be used to assess the level of habitat disturbance at a site... it is far more sensitive than any measure of vegetational diversity or structure... its presence is the ultimate symbol of a pristine forest ecosystem*...