Studying the Ecological Value of Bats: Way Canguk, Sumatra

By Barrie | October 2nd, 2007 | No Comments

As night falls, Way Canguk Research Station manager Meyner Nusalawo stands in a corner of the BBSNP, holding a walkie-talkie to keep in touch with his peers, who have put up nets between two trees in the middle of the park as a bat trap.

Nusalawo and his research staff were trapping bats for a study, planning to release them afterward.

He said the study was important as bats have various functions. Some fruit bats can help disperse plant seeds, while other species control insect populations.

Studies done in Way Canguk have identified 38 bat species — consisting of 10 species of fruit eaters and 28 species that feed on insects. Surprisingly, eight of Indonesia’s nine bat families are found in Way Canguk.

Nusalawo said there were at least three natural bat caves around Way Canguk, with 38 bat species of eight families within the national park. Nine bat families are known to exist nationwide. The caves also serve as the habitat of various rare animals of the world.

Horbills, feeding mainly on figs, are found in most parts of Indonesia but nine species were listed in the BBSNP alone in 1997. Known for their big bills, these arboreal birds rely on tall and hollow trees for their reproduction.

Found in primary forests, hornbills make their nests in hollow tree trunks or other natural cavities. The height and shape of the cavities makes them dependent on this type of environment as they only nest in 38-meter-tall trees with a 3.1-m diameter on average.

Hornbills have been hunted traditionally for both food and medicine and their habitat has also been damaged due to forest squatting and illegal logging.

In fact, hornbills are included in Appendix I of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and protected under Law No.5/1990 on the conservation of natural resources and their ecosystem. The law carries a maximum punishment of five years’ jail and a fine of Rp 100 million (US$11,000).

Oyos Saroso H.N