The status of <i>Pteropus livingstonii</i> in the Comores

Reason, Paola; Trewhella, W. J.

doi:10.1017/s0030605300028404

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Whilst significant efforts have been made to conserve Pteropus species of the western Indian Ocean islands through population surveys (Reason & Trewhella, 1994;Entwistle & Corp, 1997b;Powell & Wehnelt, 2003), ecological research (Entwistle & Corp, 1997a;Granek, 2002) and environmental education initiatives (Trewhella et al, 2005), attention has only recently been drawn to the conservation of the endemic Madagascar flying fox Pteropus rufus, despite decades of research and conservation on endemic Malagasy mammals. There are estimated to be 300,000 P. rufus in Madagascar (MacKinnon et al, 2003), two orders of magnitude more than some other Pteropus species in the western Indian Ocean (Powell & Wehnelt, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Not rare, but threatened: the endemic Madagascar flying fox Pteropus rufus in a fragmented landscape

Jenkins

Racey

Andriafidison³

et al. 2007

Oryx

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The endemic Madagascar flying fox Pteropus rufus is threatened by habitat loss at roost sites and hunting for bushmeat. There is no conservation plan for this species, even though it is categorized on the IUCN Red List as Vulnerable and plays an important role as a seed disperser. In the Mangoro valley of central eastern Madagascar we monitored roost occupancy and abundance of P. rufus on 15 occasions at six sites over a 12month period and conducted a detailed assessment of eight roosts during July 2004. There was considerable monthly variation in bat abundance and only two sites contained bats during every visit. Three sites were occupied only between September and March and may act as maternity or nursery roosts. Evidence of hunting was found at three roosts, and fire and forest clearance are ubiquitous threats. Two roosts were in Eucalyptus plantations and six were in small (2.2 -28.7 ha) isolated fragments of degraded, mid elevation dense humid forest. All roosts were outside protected areas but were within 20 km of relatively intact forest. Faecal analysis revealed a diet of native forest tree species, cultivated fruits and Eucalyptus flowers. P. rufus in the Mangoro valley, and elsewhere in Madagascar, appears to survive in human-impacted environments by the inclusion of exotic plants in its diet and the ability to move between roosts. We provide conservation recommendations for P. rufus at both local and national levels.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Not rare, but threatened: the endemic Madagascar flying fox Pteropus rufus in a fragmented landscape

Jenkins

Racey

Andriafidison³

et al. 2007

Oryx

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“…The Vulnerable Aldabra fruit bat Pteropus aldabrensis is thought to be low in number but has not been subject to rigorous surveys and therefore its population size is uncertain. It is difficult to relate the current population estimate to those published previously (Reason & Trewhella, 1994; Trewhella et al, 1998; Granek, 2002; Sewall et al, 2007), to quantify population trends in this species. In particular, the survey intensity and number of roost sites visited has varied between studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…The species was first described by the Victorian-era explorer David Livingstone, who shot an individual on Anjouan in 1861 (Cheke & Dahl, 1981). It is the only Pteropus species in the western Indian Ocean that is not threatened by hunting (Carroll & Feistner, 1996; Entwistle, 2001; Jenkins et al, 2007; Mickleburgh et al, 1992), but its population is suspected to have undergone severe declines as a result of widespread deforestation since the 1960s (Cheke & Dahl, 1981; Mickleburgh et al, 1992; Reason & Trewhella, 1994), which continues today. It was estimated that forest on the Comoro Islands was lost at a rate of 9.3% per year during 2000–2010, the highest rate of deforestation of any country (FAO, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A bat on the brink? A range-wide survey of the Critically Endangered Livingstone's fruit bat Pteropus livingstonii

Daniel

Green²,

Doulton³

et al. 2016

Oryx

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The Livingstone's fruit bat Pteropus livingstonii is endemic to the small islands of Anjouan and Mohéli in the Comoros archipelago, Indian Ocean. The species is under threat from anthropogenic pressure on the little that remains of its forest habitat, now restricted to the islands’ upper elevations and steepest slopes. We report the results of the most comprehensive survey of this species to date, and present recommendations for ongoing field conservation efforts and monitoring. Morning counts were conducted at roost sites in the wet and dry seasons during 2011–2013. Habitat structure around the roosting sites was characterized and roost numbers compared, to investigate the potential effect of habitat loss and degradation. We estimate the population to comprise c. 1,260 individuals distributed across 21 roosts on the two islands. All occupied roosting sites were restricted to a narrow altitudinal range, and roosting populations in agroforestry areas were smaller than those found in degraded and undisturbed forest. Only one of the 16 roosts on Anjouan was found in undisturbed, old-growth forest with no nearby signs of clearance for agriculture or landslides following tree-felling upslope. Following a suspected severe population decline as a result of widespread and long-term forest loss Livingstone's fruit bat has been recategorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

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“…Common threats affecting bats of the genus Pteropus include hunting, deforestation and destruction as pests (Racey 1979;Mickleburgh et al, 1992;Pierson and Rainey, 1992;Reason and Trewhella 1994). The Pemba flying fox Pteropus voeltzkowi is endemic to the island of Pemba and is listed as endangered in the 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals (Groombridge, 1993) and in the IUCN fruit bat action plan (classed as priority 1; Mickleburgh et al, 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%