Indigenous Knowledge and Taxonomy of Bats in Loboc Watershed Forest Reserve, Bohol, Philippines

Abstract

The island of Bohol is one of the least biologically explored in the Philippines. Faunal explorations in the island are few as compared to other islands in the country. This paper aims to taxonomically assess the current status of bat populations in the Loboc Watershed Forest Reserve (LWFR) in Bohol. In addition, the level of community awareness on the importance of bats and bat conservation was determined. Mist netting was used to sample bat species at the various sampling sites. A survey through interviews using a prepared questionnaire was also conducted. A total number of 15 bat species were recorded, namely: Cynopterus brachyotis, Eonycteris spelaea, Haplonycteris fischeri, Ptenochirus jagori, Rousettus amplexicaudatus, Emballonura alecto, Megaderma spasma, Hipposideros diadema, Hipposideros obscurus, Hipposideros pygmaeus, Rhinolophus arcuatus, Rhinolophus rufus, Miniopterus australis, Miniopterus schreibersi, and Scotophilus kuhlii. The most commonly caught and recorded bat species in all sites was C. brachyotis. The Loboc Watershed is known to be a secondary growth forest, hence, the abundance of this fruit bat in the area. The watershed also supports the endemic species as well as Nearly Threatened bats. This is an encouraging sign and thus protection and conservation of their habitats should be clearly taken into account. The greatest threat that most bat species face is the destruction of habitats which include deforestation and other land use practices. Continued hunting is another main threat to the bat populations. The local communities within the study area have inadequate knowledge about bats.