Morris’s bat (Myotis morrisi)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 232531277

Searching for and endemic and Data Deficient of Morris’s bat in Ethiopia, Ethiopia

 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.

 

 

Project documents

• Youth workshop on the importance of Morris's bat conservation
• Stakeholders workshop to enhance public awareness about the ecological services of Morris's bat




Project 232531277 location - Ethiopia, Africa