Morris’s bat (Myotis morrisi) Case Study
Home > Biodiversity Nature & People > Conservation Philanthropy > Grants > MBZF Grant 232531277
Continent: Africa
Country: Ethiopia
Grant Amount: $10,000
Awarded Date: June 16, 2023
Dessalegn Obsi Gemeda
Jimma University
Jimma
Jimma
Oromia
307
Ethiopia
Tel: +251-471110019
Mob: +251917852322
Searching for and endemic and Data Deficient of Morris’s bat in Ethiopia, Ethiopia
Morris’s bat is an endemic species to Ethiopia. Morris’s bats significantly contribute to pest control, dispersing seeds and plant pollinations. Despite its ecological services, majority of the local communities poorly understood the contribution of the species. Results reveal that more than 75% of the respondents have little knowledge about the ecological services of Morris’s bat, including pollination, seed dispersal, natural fertilizers, and consuming agricultural pests.
Morris’s bats are native species to Ethiopia. Morris’s bat is a small mammal with unique characteristics, capable of flying like a bird, feeding its young with milk, and having fur on its skins. We used local community knowledge and experiences to identify the threats and public perception towards Morris’s bat conservation. Majority of the local communities have a negative attitude towards Morris’s bat as they perceived that this species is a major source of disease that can cause serious illness. These negative perceptions could significantly impact Morris’s bat conservation. Human encroachment into Morris bat habitats, mainly caves, and landscape changes due to agricultural expansion are some of the key threats affecting Morris's bats. Although the local community has a negative attitude towards the Morris’s bat, some portion of the communities have stated that the species are threatened due to human encroachment into its habitat, mainly cave. To minimize the public knowledge gap about ecological importance of Morris’s bats, conservationists and scholars should promote the ecosystem services of this species by using variety of platforms, including scientific article publication, YouTube, Twitter, Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Research Gate, and billboards along the main roads. These results provide essential information for Morris’s bat conservation and management strategies.
Grant documents
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