Submitted by
nguyenda
on Mon, 01/28/2019 - 14:16
General Information
Resolution
46436
Period covered
Activities to implement this Resolution from Activity Reports
| Relevant operative para(s) of Res/Rec | Activities Overview | Description | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Convene stakeholders/Networking | Note: also fits Scientific/technical and Policy influencing The second workshop in the joint initiative “The people, bats and fruit industry of Mauritius: a process towards a common solution” was held 9-10 May 2018 in Mauritius. The "Mauritius Fruit Bat Research Strategy Workshop" was prepared and planned jointly by the National Parks and Conservation Services (Mauritius), the IUCN SSC Human- Wildlife Conflict Task Force, the IUCN SSC Bat Specialist Group, the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) and Chester Zoo. The aim was to provide an interactive platform to share knowledge and to propose new research avenues that would harmonise the issue of human-bat conflict. Workshop objectives were: 1) To bring together stakeholders representing a range of scientific and research disciplines from Mauritius and overseas in order to share information and to contribute to the initial stages of producing a research strategy. 2) Exchange current knowledge concerning fruit bats globally from the social, economic and natural sciences perspectives. 3) Learn about current, ongoing and planned research projects encompassing all aspects of Mauritius fruit bats, their aims, objectives, schedules and intended outputs. 4) Identify priority research questions and areas for focused study, and collate this towards an outline of a national research strategy on Mauritius fruit bats and their conservation and management. It is hoped that workshop outcomes will form the basis of a National Research Strategy. |
Completed | Full activity report | |
| Education/Communication/Raising awareness | A number of publications came out in 2018 that directly address this issue. Florens, F. B. V., & Baider, C. (2019 -- online in 2018). Mass-culling of a threatened island flying fox species failed to increase fruit growers’ profits and revealed gaps to be addressed for effective conservation. Journal for Nature Conservation, 47, 58-64. Anthony, B. P., Tatayah, V., & De Chazal, D. (2018). Taking the first steps: Initial mapping of the human-wildlife interaction of the Mauritius Fruit Bat Pteropus niger (Mammalia: Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) in Mauritius by conservation organizations. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 10(8), 12073-12081. Florens, F. V., & Vincenot, C. E. (2018). Broader conservation strategies needed. Science, 362(6413), 409-409. Oleksy R Z, Ayady C L, Tatayah V, Jones C, Froidevaux J S P, Racey P A & Jones G (2018). The impact of the Mauritian flying fox Pteropus niger on commercial fruit farms and the efficacy of mitigation. Oryx. doi:10.1017/S0030605318001138. |
Completed | Full activity report | |
| Policy influencing/advocacy | An injunction has been entered in court by Fabiola Monty (Dis-Moi Ocean Indien) in November 2018 to try to put an end to the third cull (November and December 2018), on animal welfare grounds. Whilst an end to that cull did not occur due to the injunction, the case is still being heard in early 2019. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Policy influencing/advocacy | In response to the cull of 2018, the IUCN issued a position statement on the culling (released 10 December 2018). The statement appealed to the Mauritian Government to halt culling of the Mauritian Fruit Bat and make a strong commitment to search for effective non-lethal strategies to the conflict with fruit growers by adopting recommendations arising from "The people, bats and fruit industry of Mauritius" initiative (position statement link provided below) |
Completed | Full activity report | |
| Policy influencing/advocacy | When it became known that a third cull was planned in 2018, a letter was sent from IUCN Secretariat (signed by Dr Jane Smart - 25 October 2018) expressing concern about the proposed cull. |
Completed | Full activity report | |
| Scientific/technical activities | The government culls (late 2015, late 2016) of P. niger on Mauritius triggered a reassessment of the Red List Status of the species. The assessment was published in July 2018. The species was raised from VU to EN. |
Completed | Full activity report |
Actors involved from Activity Reports
| IUCN Members | IUCN Commissions | IUCN Secretariat | Other non-IUCN related organisations |
|---|---|---|---|
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Challenges / lessons learned from Activity Reports
Report status
Published
I. IUCN Constituencies implementing this Resolution
IUCN Members
Bat Conservation International, Inc ( United States of America )
Mauritian Wildlife Foundation ( Mauritius )
Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security ( Mauritius )
IUCN Commissions
5B1D7F64-8114-E211-8DEB-002655853524
IUCN Secretariat
Yes
Other non-IUCN related organisations
Bat Conservation Trust, Ecosystem Restoration Alliance, Indian Ocean
II. Implementation
Activities carried out to implement this Resolution
Convene stakeholders/Networking
Education/Communication/Raising awareness
Policy influencing/advocacy
Scientific/technical activities
Describe the results/achievements of the activities
1) Convene stakeholders/Networking: The second workshop in the joint initiative “The people, bats and fruit industry of Mauritius: a process towards a common solution” was held 9-10 May 2018 in Mauritius. The "Mauritius Fruit Bat Research Strategy Workshop" was prepared and planned jointly by the National Parks and Conservation Services (Mauritius), the IUCN SSC Human- Wildlife Conflict Task Force, the IUCN SSC Bat Specialist Group, the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) and Chester Zoo. The aim was to provide an interactive platform to share knowledge and to propose new research avenues that would harmonise the issue of human-bat conflict. The outcomes of the workshop was aimed to form the basis of a National Research Strategy.
2) Education/Communication/Raising awareness: A number of publications were produced to address the issue of mass-culling of fruit bats.
3) Policy influencing/advocacy: An injunction has been entered in court by Fabiola Monty (Dis-Moi Ocean Indien) in November 2018 to try to put an end to the third cull (November and December 2018), on animal welfare grounds. Whilst an end to that cull did not occur due to the injunction, the case is still being heard in early 2019.
IUCN Secretariat sent a letter on 25 October 2018 expressing concern about the proposed thrid cull by the Government Of Mauritius.
In response to the cull of 2018, the IUCN issued a position statement on the culling (released 10 December 2018). The statement appealed to the Mauritian Government to halt culling of the Mauritian Fruit Bat and make a strong commitment to search for effective non-lethal strategies to the conflict with fruit growers by adopting recommendations arising from "The people, bats and fruit industry of Mauritius" initiative (position statement link provided below)
4) Scientific/technical activities: Carried out a re-assessment of the Red List Status of the species of P. niger on Mauritius due to the government culls (late 2015, late 2016). The re-assessment update was published in July 2018. The species was raised from VU to EN.
2) Education/Communication/Raising awareness: A number of publications were produced to address the issue of mass-culling of fruit bats.
3) Policy influencing/advocacy: An injunction has been entered in court by Fabiola Monty (Dis-Moi Ocean Indien) in November 2018 to try to put an end to the third cull (November and December 2018), on animal welfare grounds. Whilst an end to that cull did not occur due to the injunction, the case is still being heard in early 2019.
IUCN Secretariat sent a letter on 25 October 2018 expressing concern about the proposed thrid cull by the Government Of Mauritius.
In response to the cull of 2018, the IUCN issued a position statement on the culling (released 10 December 2018). The statement appealed to the Mauritian Government to halt culling of the Mauritian Fruit Bat and make a strong commitment to search for effective non-lethal strategies to the conflict with fruit growers by adopting recommendations arising from "The people, bats and fruit industry of Mauritius" initiative (position statement link provided below)
4) Scientific/technical activities: Carried out a re-assessment of the Red List Status of the species of P. niger on Mauritius due to the government culls (late 2015, late 2016). The re-assessment update was published in July 2018. The species was raised from VU to EN.
Challenges/obstacles encountered in the implementation of this Resolution and measures taken
Although the IUCN SSC Bat SG has worked with Partners to carry out many activities to protect wild bats from culling programmes oin Mauritius,however, the political motivation behind the culls in Mauritius and the polarized and entrenched perspectives of the general public towards the species. IUCN SSC Bat SG has been using a multi-faceted strategy centered on conflict-resolution, ecological and economic research, and damage mitigation, but are yet to overcome the challenges.
More work is still needed to tackle this challenges.
More work is still needed to tackle this challenges.
Future actions / activities needed for the implementation of this Resolution
1) Policy influencing/advocacy: The third event of the “The people, bats and fruit industry of Mauritius: a process towards a common solution” is planned for 2019. which aims to bring together stakeholders together with representatives from the general public, tourism sector, the media, and others who are affected by, and influence, the discourse and decision-making around Mauritius Fruit Bats.
2) Scientific/technical activities: To be based on the third cull implemented late 2018, with a target of 20% of the population (about 12K bats), it is likely that a Red List Re-assessment might be needed.
2) Scientific/technical activities: To be based on the third cull implemented late 2018, with a target of 20% of the population (about 12K bats), it is likely that a Red List Re-assessment might be needed.
Are these actions/activities planned?
Yes
III. Status of implementation
Implementation status of this Resolution
On-going: implementation consisting of repetitive, recurrent action (attending meetings, reporting, etc.)