Conservation and Community: Surveying the Bats of Nguna Island, Vanuatu

Following the 20th International Bat Research Conference in Cairns, our Ecologist, Jas, had the opportunity to travel to Vanuatu, to participate in a collaborative field expedition documenting the island’s flying foxes and microbat biodiversity. The trip brought together researchers, consultants, members of the Pacific Bat Conservation Network (PacBat), the Vanuatu Department of Climate Change, and, most importantly, the rangers and community of Mere-Sauwia, located on the east coast of Nguna.

Field work set out to establish baseline information about the local bat fauna by collaborating with members of the Mere Sauwia community, who have managed the adjoining Mere Sauwia Conservation Area since 1997. Generous local residents opened their homes to host us and share their cultural knowledge of bats, as well as known flyways and roosts known from generations of customary ownership of the area.

The following is Jas’ account of the experience.

A warm welcome to Nguna

The team met in Port Vila, and after gathering supplies we travelled through the villages of Saama and Emua, then crossed by boat to Nguna Island. From the shoreline we travelled to Mere-Sauwia village, where we were formally welcomed by community leader Taman Onesemas who manages conservation in Mere Sauwia alongside local rangers. Taman spoke on behalf of the elders, youth and families to grant us permission to stay and conduct research within their customary lands. Our hosts, Nora and her mother Lesofa, welcomed us with hugs and smiles and immediately made us feel at home. Each evening, we were treated to the community’s hospitality with shared meals, music and dancing – and a generous amount of kava. During the day, the local rangers led us to survey sites across the island, where we installed acoustic equipment and carried out roost surveys for the Vanuatu flying fox (Pteropus anetianus). As we walked, they shared their knowledge of plants with cultural significance, including the island’s cycads, known locally as Namele. We also had a constant companion in a friendly village dog, Smokey, who appointed himself an honorary member of the field team.

Smokey: team leader and supervisor.

Surveying Nguna’s bats

Our primary goal was to establish baseline information on both flying foxes and microbat diversity on Nguna Island. Roost counts of individuals, acoustic recorders and mist netting were the main tools used to take a sample of the species diversity. Rangers identified likely commuting routes leading towards water sources, where mist nets were positioned across narrow flyways to increase capture success.  As they flew into the fine nets, each bat was gently removed and placed in a calico bag that had been turned inside out to prevent tiny claws catching on the stitching. Bats were identified and recorded on release to build a reference call library for the area. Surveys were brief but helped to begin building a picture of the diversity of Nguna’s microbat fauna. Several pacific endemic species were recorded, including the Fawn Leaf-nosed Bat (Hipposideros cervinus) (a species also found in Far North Queensland!).

Our bat processing station on banana leaves. Morphological measurements of body weight, forearm length and head body length were used to identify bats to species. Sex, maturity through visible bone density and ectoparasite data were also captured.

A male Hipposideros cervinus, captured at a waterhole in closed forest, east of the village.

Culture and conservation

The field surveys provided valuable baseline data on bat populations on Nguna but also highlighted the importance of working in partnership with the communities whose livelihoods rely on, and whose leaders manage these landscapes.

The project was made possible through the knowledge, leadership and support of the Mere-Sauwia community. Rangers identified suitable survey locations, while community leaders granted permission to work on customary lands. Families welcomed us into their homes, and survey methods were shared with rangers to support ongoing monitoring and build local capacity. Conversations with community members, including traditional knowledge and stories of the local wildlife gave our ecological observations a deeper cultural context.

Community-based conservation recognises that protecting biodiversity and supporting the wellbeing of people who live within conservation areas are not competing goals. When projects build local capacity, respect Indigenous and customary knowledge, collaboration can be fostered between the communities who depend on these landscapes and researchers that strengthen the abilities of both to protect biodiversity.

A Traditional Story from Nguna

Community leader, Paul, shared with us the following story that was told to him by his grandfather on how the Bat and the Parrot became enemies:

One day the Bat and the Parrot decided to paint one another. The Bat went first. With great care he covered the Parrot in bright colours—reds, blues, greens and golds—until every feather shone. When the Parrot looked at his reflection, he was so pleased with how he looked.

Then it was the Parrot’s turn. By now, only two colours of paint were left: black and yellow. The Parrot painted the Bat almost entirely black, leaving only a narrow yellow band around his neck. When he had finished, he said, “Wait until I have gone, then you can look at yourself.”

As soon as the Parrot was gone, the Bat looked into the mirror. He stared at his reflection and felt cheated. Compared with the Parrot’s brilliant feathers, his own colours seemed dull and careless.

From that day on, the Bat and the Parrot became enemies, and they have never trusted one another since.

Thank you to the Mere-Sauwia community

Tankyu tumas to Martika, Lindy, Nelyne, Stenneth, Nora, Paul, Taman and everyone in the Mere Sauwia community for welcoming us with so much generosity.