Socio-Economic Importance
A Fun Vacation for you...
but not for the Bats
Since the Philippines are so beautiful, tourism is very popular. Three areas of the Philippines (Boracay Island, Mambukal, and Subic Bay) are the most protected roost sites and they also happen to be the three most popular tourist attractions. So, the habitats that are supposed to be protected for the fruit bats are constantly being roamed by humans (Mildenstein, T. & Paguntalan, L., 2016). Initially, the popularity of tourism was a big problem for fruit bat populations at The Mambukal Resort. The resort used to practice poor ecotourism techniques when they lead bat watches in the rainforest. Their practices were seriously threatening the survival of the fruit bat populations in the area, especially since the golden-capped fruit bat is not very tolerant to disturbances. Human disturbances range from anything from loud noises to shaking trees to try to make the bats fly. Disturbances like these induce a lot of stress in the bats and can lead to separation between pups and their mothers. Also, when fruit bats are roosting that means that they are asleep, so when humans try to make them fly they are waking them up during a time that they are not supposed to be awake. Imagine someone waking you up in the middle of the night and not letting you sleep. You would probably be very upset and stressed, which is exactly how the fruit bats feel. The Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. (PBCFI) and the Negros Forests and Ecological Foundation Inc. (NFEFI) teamed together to educate and train the tour guides at the Mambukal Resort. The relationship between the organizations has been ongoing and the Mambukal Resort has since become an example for the rest of the Philippines of what good ecotourism and fruit bat conservation looks like (Philippine Bats Conservation Programme, 2013). Sadly, good ecotourism is not the norm in the Philippines. Many people are not educated about fruit bats and the threats that they face, so sympathy is not often shown towards these beautiful creatures.
Ingrained in Filipino Culture
The endangered Golden-capped Fruit Bat is a big part of the culture in the Philippines. Hunting fruit bats is a Filipino tradition, but one that is very harmful to fruit bat populations. Fruit bat meat is said to have medicinal properties and it is viewed by many to be a delicacy (Mildenstein, T. & Paguntalan, L., 2016). There is a line between respecting culture and protecting endangered species, one that is difficult to tread on. Foreign nations do not have the right to tell Filipinos that they cannot practice their cultural traditions. The best way to go about this problem is to address the issue of education in the Philippines. If Filipinos had a better understanding of their endemic fruit bats, they might be more willing to hunt fruit bats less or not at all.
Cheap Food Source For a Country Ridden with Poverty
The Philippines have a very prevalent issue of poverty, and fruit bat meat is a very cheap source of protein (Maala, C. P., 2001). Estimates from 2012 found that 19.2% of the population were living in poverty. This amounts to about 18.4 million people living off of $1.25 or less a day. A high percentage of those 18.4 million people live in rural areas and work in agriculture (Yap, D.,2016). Undernutrition is a big problem for people in poverty, and fruit bat is cheap and provides a very important source of protein (Maala, C. P., 2001). Although fruit bat hunting is illegal in most areas, starving people are willing to do anything to find food. To eliminate a demand for fruit bat meat, the issue of poverty in the Philippines needs to be addressed first.
People swimming in a pool at the Mambukal Resort. (Hope This Helps You, 2012)
Filipino children smiling. (Anna Stiva, 2013)
A homeless family eating a small meal. (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2016)