Passion for bats
We are in the year of the bat. The International Year of the Bat 2011 and 2012 has been declared promoted by the UNEP Migratory Species Convention and the organization EUROBATS, celebrations that aim to turn the recipients of the designation into protagonists. In fact, bats are the mammal species we inhabit on planet Earth most unknown to humans, and according to the organizers of the year, the most “persecuted”.
Reports published for the year of the bat have alerted that about half of the 1,200 species of bats we know are in danger and, as usual, humans are the main threat of bats, identifying habitat loss and capture to eat.
The organizers want to take advantage of these two years to promote conservation and research, and thus pay special attention to knowledge, since from the same name we have given to bats in different languages it is seen that bats not only have to face lack of knowledge but also human convictions and prejudices.
They are the only flying mammals that make up almost a quarter of mammal species. And they also offer beneficial services for humans: avoiding pests by ingesting insects or being pollinators. In some places, bats have also been able to attract exceptional tourism. However, they receive less protection than they need and in some regions of the world they are in a very precarious situation.
In this issue we enter the world of flying mammals with three researchers who have turned bats into passion and craft: Paul Racey, one of the greatest experts in the world; Joxerra Aihartza, who has become a reference from the research of the bat in Euskal Herria; and Egoitz Salsamendi, the most outstanding student of Aiartza that bats have brought to Panama. There is no better ambassador than his passion to know bats and overcome prejudice.
Zu idazle
Zientzia aldizkaria
