Conservation groups in Sulawesi, Indonesia are working to protect flying foxes, which are threatened by hunting for food and habitat loss. After four years of conservation action, the number of flying foxes flocking to the Indonesian island of Mantawalu Daka has grown from around 8,000 to 40,000, with conservationists having worked with community members to change negative perceptions of bats and limit hunting on the island. Protecting bats can improve forest health, and since their return in greater numbers, local fishers report fish are easier to come by around the island. Flying foxes are considered valuable pollinators and seed dispersers, and they are key pollinators of durian, an economically valuable fruit across Southeast Asia. In Indonesia and Malaysia, flying foxes are hunted for food or killed as pests, and a recent study showed that 19% of the 1,320 bat species around the world are at risk of hunting. Creating safe havens for bats by reducing hunting pressure is key to conserving flying foxes, and conservationists say more needs to be done to create a larger network of safe roosts for flying foxes and other bat populations across Sulawesi.
