Red List of South African Species

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Data Deficient (DD)
Assessors: Ara Monadjem Lientjie Cohen David Jacobs Kate MacEwan Leigh Richards Corrie Schoeman Theresa Sethusa Peter Taylor
Contributors: Matthew Child Samantha Page-Nicholson Domitilla Raimondo
Reviewers: Ara Monadjem Lientjie Cohen David Jacobs Kate MacEwan Leigh Rosanne Richards Corrie Shoeman Theresa Sethusa Peter Taylor

Rationale

This species is generally associated with moist savannah habitats and has not been recorded from agricultural landscapes but has recently been recorded from a human-modified river landscape in the Durban region (KwaZulu-Natal Province). While known from fewer than 10 locations in the assessment region, it has a wide extent of occurrence (92,854 km2). This species seems rare but is also difficult to catch, so it may have been under-sampled. Deforestation is a major threat because of its reliance on forest and woodland habitats. There is thus an inferred population decline due to ongoing loss of forest habitat, especially in KwaZulu-Natal Province where an average of 1.2% per year of natural habitat has been lost between 1994 and 2011. Not enough is known about its population size and it is possible that there are fewer than 10, 000 mature individuals. It has low wing loading and suitable habitat is fragmented, hence subpopulations may be isolated. This species may thus qualify for Vulnerable C2a(i) under a precautionary purview. However, it exists primarily in protected areas and thus it is uncertain whether inferred decline outside protected areas is causing a net population decline. Thus, we list as Near Threatened C2a(i). Further monitoring and field surveys are required to estimate population sizes and trends more accurately. This species should be reassessed once such data are available.

Regional population effects: The Damara Woolly Bat is a tiny species with short and broad wings with low wing loading (Norberg & Rayner 1987), it is therefore not suspected that there is immigration into the assessment region from extra-regional populations and we assume no significant rescue effects. However, habitat is connected between regions through transfrontier reserves.

Distribution

This species is distributed in East Africa and southern Africa, with some records in southern parts of the The Democratic Republic of the Congo and possibly northern Angola (records are uncertain from this country) in Central Africa. In East Africa, it has been recorded in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Malawi. In southern Africa, it appears to be widespread in Zimbabwe, with additional scattered records from northeastern Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa. Gaps in the distribution, especially from Zambezian Woodland biotic zone, probably reflect insufficient sampling rather than genuine absence (Cotterill 2013). Habitat models suggest that extensive tracts of land in southern and central Mozambique have conditions suitable for this species (Monadjem et al. 2010). In the assessment region, it is found in South Africa along the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal Province and in northern Limpopo (Pafuri) through to Zimbabwe and Mozambique (Monadjem et al. 2010). It is absent from Swaziland and Lesotho. Current extent of occurrence is estimated to be 92,854 km2.


Population trend

Trend

The population size in the assessment region is unknown, it appears to be rare however the species is very difficult to capture and can only be caught using harp traps hence it is extremely difficult to determine the population size. 

Threats

Across its range, deforestation is a major threat. Within the assessment region, they occur predominantly in protected areas (but see Naidoo et al. 2011) and thus the severity of deforestation is unknown. Habitat loss, resulting from crop cultivation and afforestation, is occurring in KwaZulu-Natal (Jewitt et al. 2015). Logging of indigenous trees may lead to localised loss of roosting sites.

Uses and trade

Not known to be traded or utilised in any form.

Conservation

This species occurs in numerous protected areas within the assessment region, such as Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park and iSimangaliso Wetland Park. While no specific interventions are possible until further research has assessed the severity of local threats and identified important subpopulations outside protected areas, this species would benefit from further protected area expansion, such as that being planned to link Maputaland to the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area (Smith et al. 2008).

Recommendations for land managers and practitioners:
  • Identification and protection of key roost sites.
  • Use harp traps (instead of mist nets) for field surveys.
Research priorities:
  • Surveys are needed to identify further subpopulations, quantify the size of the population and determine population trend in the assessment region.
  • Primary research on habitat selection, key roosting sites, diet and reproductive behaviour.
Encouraged citizen actions:
  • Citizens can assist the conservation of the species by reporting sightings on virtual museum platforms (for example, iSpot and MammalMAP), and therefore contribute to an understanding of the species distribution.

References 

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