Vanuatu Environmental Science Society (VESS) is holding an exhibition about bats of Vanuatu at the Alliance Francaise exhibition hall in Port Vila.
The one-week exhibition started Monday, 8 April and will end on Saturday, 13 April 2019.
The exhibition is part of the project called ‘Conservation of the Endemic Flying Foxes of Torba and Temotu in Vanuatu and Solomon islands.
The project focuses on three species of threatened flying foxes, Banks flying fox in Vanuatu, Temotu flying fox and Vanikoro flying fox in Solomon Islands.
The VESS has confirmed that part of the project is an expedition to the islands where these species of threatened flying foxes occurred.
“During the expedition, awareness workshop was carried out and information booklets and other important resources about bats were given to community members”
“We also conducted questionnaires asking local people what they know about these flying foxes in their area”, VESS stated.
Some people consider flying foxes to be pests because of the noise and mess they make and the damage they can do to fruit orchards.
VESS said they perform a vital ecological role.
“Especially in places where you have disturbances like cyclones and now logging, bats play a really important role pollinating flowers, spreading seeds and helping those forests regenerate,” VESS said.
In Vanuatu, there are 12 bat species, two of which are endemic which means they only live in Vanuatu and nowhere else in the world.
Photo supplied Caption: Bats displayed at the exhibition room in Port Vila