This project proposes to conduct bat surveys in two karst-dominated reserves in Madagascar, Bemaraha National Park and Namoraka Integrated Reserve. The former is becoming increasingly popular with tourists while the latter is isolated and relatively unexplored. Two vertebrate inventories recently conducted by WWF highlighted the importance of the bat fauna found in the caves of Madagascar’s karst landforms.

This project therefore aims to extend the current bat project from the rainforests in the east to the Karst areas of the north and west of Madagascar. Factors will include cave occupancy by bats, microclimate, light levels and tourist pressure with the overall plan of producing a Bat Management Plan for each reserve. Training and public awareness are key components and will be achieved through the production of information leaflets for tourists and one-to-one training of park guides.  Picture shows Amyot surveying bats in cave.