THE BATS OF BACMAN

Contrary to what other people believe that bats are agents of darkness or bats symbolizes frights and terrors, bats are very useful animals specially in our forest. Bats in the Philippines are considered endangered species because of it’s extinctions due to some irresponsible humans who didn’t know or don’t have knowledge about the importance of this creatures.

Mottled-wing
Flying fox

The Philippines, with current geographical boundaries scattered over 7,100 islands, harbors one of the world’s remarkable assemblage of terrestrial mammalian fauna, with over 170 native species and of which 111 species (64%) are found nowhere else in the world. As such, each major island groups in the Philippines (Luzon, Mindanao, Palawan, Negros and Panay) with its varying size, geologic age and topography, contain a unique set of mammalian fauna.

Common Bent-winged Bat

Many people didn’t know or no knowledge at all the contributions of this bats in our nature especially in our forest. Let’s face the fact that the cause of this massive and destructive floods and landslide in our country is the results of mostly denuded and deteriorated forest we have. You might ask, what are the connections of these bats in our forest? My dear friend, this bats play a vital role in the conservation of our forest….in what way? Let’s continue reading this article.

Among this bats, a total of 73 species are recognized in the Philippines (25 are fruitbats or macrochiropterans while 48 are insectivorous bats). Of the current tally, a total of 25 species are endemic or found nowhere else in the world. This remarkable bat diversity (and the whole Philippines mammalian in general) is also beset by a level of threat that is unprecedented in terms of scale and severity. Primary forest in the Philippines has been reduced from more than 80% of the total land area near the turn of the 20th century to ca. 8% in 1998. This predicament has brought severe repercussions as the majority of the bats found in the country are forest-dwellers, most particularly endemics.

Furthermore, caves in the Philippines have also experienced severe persecutions in the form of indiscriminate mining (large and small scale) and irresponsible tourism. This situation is immediate as the majorities of 48 species of insectivorous bats are cave-dwellers and are also recorded in forest. Wide scale hunting is also prevalent particularly among fruitbats or the flying foxes (with forearms reaching > 110 millimeters) and is pretty much common place in all parts of the country. As such, the effect of habitat loss in the form of forest and caves and active hunting has brought about an alarming figure: 12 species are globally recognized as the threatened with extinction.


Bats contributions to our ecology are very vital. Many people have no proper information of its importance. Bats are the natural planters in our forest, have you not realized or think who planted all those trees in our forest? Aside from some birds, this flying foxes and fruitbats are the main cast of the “tree planters” in our forest. These bats ate the fruits together with its seeds, while flying or hanging on tree their manure scattered within the vast forest, this manure contains seeds that are planted on the ground. This kind of process makes these bats as natural planters of the trees in our forest.

BATS IN THE GEOTHERMAL RESERVATION AREA

The presences of these bats are manifested in the Province of Sorsogon, Philippines, in the reservation area of PNOC-EDC Bacman Geothermal Production Field, located within the boundaries of Manito, Albay and Sorsogon City. The Bacman Bat Sanctuary occupies a portion of the 25,000 hectares reservation area.

The purpose of this article is to document the result of the Bat survey done in Bacman fron June 26-30, 2006. I addition, during the Biodiverasity Monitoring System (BMS) and Wildlife Identification training held in Bacman in 2003. The information generated in the survey will be used as a means of promoting eco-tourism and as basis for effective management planning of the bats found within the jurisdiction of the Geothermal Field.

A total of 9 species, representing three families, were found and having their habitat within the boundaries of Bacman Geothermal Production Field reservation area. This species are as follows:

1. GOLDEN-CROWNED FLYING FOX (Acerodon Jubatus)
2. LARGE FLYING FOX (Pteropus Vampyrus)
3. MOTTLED WING FLYING FOX (Pteropus Leucopterus)
4. COMMON SHORT-NOSED FRUITBAT (Cynopoterus Brachyotis)
5. PHILIPPINE PYGMY FRUITBAT (Haplonycteris Fischen)
6. DAGGER-TOOTHED FLOWER BAT (Macroglossus Minimus)
7. MUSKY FRUITBAT (Ptenochirus Jagori)
8. PHILIPPINE FOREST HORSE SHOE BAT (Rhinolophus Inops)
9. VES PERTILIONID COMMON BENT WINGED BAT (Miniopterus Scheibersi)

This species found within the reservation of Bacman are under the protection of the host company through their Environmental Management Department (EMD) in cooperation with the local government of the City of Sorsogon and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Bacman Bat Sanctuary is one of the main eco-tourism attractions of the said company. With the continuous protection and proper public information given by the EMD, this species are now preserved from extinction.




Acknowledgement:

Engr. Liberato S. Virata
Resident Manager
PNOC-EDC Bacman Geothermal Production Field
Sorsogon, Philippines

Mr. Leo Zancho A. Mago
Superintendent
Environmental Management Department
PNOC-EDC Bacman Geothermal Production Field
Sorsogon, Philippines

Hon. Leovic R. Dioneda
Mayor
Sorsogon City