Project Pteropus outreach Promotional Materials
Sheema Abdul Aziz
Other projects
11 May 2015
Project Pteropus: Interactions between Flying Foxes, Plants and People on Tioman Island – Implications for Conservation
2 Jul 2018
Project Pteropus Phase 2: Understanding Bat-Plant Interactions to Protect Ecosystems in Peninsular Malaysia
(1) Help protect and manage critical refugia for flying foxes (Pteropus spp.) in Peninsular Malaysia.
(2) Work through partnerships with durian growers and key stakeholders in Peninsular Malaysia to conduct research on and highlight the critical pollination services provided by fruit bats to the durian industry.
(3) Initiate and support outreach efforts targeted at raising awareness of bat ecosystem services, and promoting positive attitudes towards plant-visiting bats, including mainstreaming bats in the public consciousness and eco-tourism sector through partnerships with other organisations.
Project Pteropus was started by Rimba in 2013 and is the first and only project focused on the long-term ecology and conservation of Malaysian fruit bats (Order: Chiroptera; Family: Pteropodidae).
Our long-term approach is to investigate, understand, document, and highlight fruit bat ecosystem services such as durian (Durio zibethinus) pollination and island eco-tourism – but also to understand and address situations of conflict between fruit bats and humans, as a two-pronged strategy to promote conservation of fruit bats and their habitats. We are engaging fruit farmers and island residents constructively as equal partners to explore collaborative solutions for fruit bat conservation throughout Peninsular Malaysia. Flying foxes (Pteropus spp.) are used as a flagship, umbrella animal group to initiate conservation actions that will also benefit other associated bat species.