SANBI

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution (extent of occurrence in the assessment region is 860,020 km²), its occurrence in multiple protected areas across its range, its known large population (colonies up to 2,000 individuals) and because there are no major identified threats that could be causing widespread population decline. However, its dependence on large caves as roosting sites makes colonies vulnerable to human disturbance and its migratory behaviour may make it vulnerable to wind farm construction and operation. Such threats should be monitored for their impacts on subpopulations and the population overall.

Regional population effects: The range of this species is continuous across the borders of the assessment region into Zimbabwe through its occurrence in transfrontier conservation areas. However, wing loading is low (M. Happold unpubl. data) so rescue effects are uncertain.

Distribution

This species has been patchily recorded in sub-Saharan Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa. In West Africa, it has currently only been reported from the northwestern uplands of Liberia (Koopman et al. 1995), while in central Africa it is known only from a few records in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda (Hayman et al. 1966; Baeten et al. 1984). It is much more widely recorded in East Africa, ranging from Ethiopia in the north, through Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe through to southern South Africa (ACR 2015). Within the assessment region, it is widespread across eastern regions of South Africa, including Lesotho and Swaziland. It occurs from Cape Town east along the coast to the Eastern Cape (Herselman & Norton 1985), then north through Lesotho and the Free State (Watson 1990) to northern South Africa and east to KwaZulu-Natal (Monadjem et al. 2010). It is restricted to areas with suitable caves for roosting, which may explain its absence from flat and featureless terrain and its close association with mountainous areas (Monadjem et al. 2010). The estimated extent of occurrence in the assessment region is 860,020 km².

Habitat View more ecological information

Population trend

Trend

Appears to be uncommon or rare throughout most of its range besides the assessment region. Here it has been recorded in many localities in the eastern regions, comprising colonies of hundreds up to 2,000 animals (Taylor 2000).

Threats

Overall, there are no major known threats to this species. To date, disturbance of roost sites in caves due to tourism and traditional ceremonies and rituals has been the largest threat to this species. It is also threatened by habitat loss around roost sites due to agricultural expansion and poor land-use management practices, as well as alien and invasive plants infestations, which depletes insect biomass (the prey base for this species). In parts of its range, (for example, Mpumalanga), the species is threatened by legal and illegal mining, and re-commissioning of old mines. Wind energy may pose a future significant threat as this species has a medium to high risk of mortality from wind turbine blades due to its migratory habits (Sowler et al. 2017).

Uses and trade

There is no evidence to suggest that this species is traded or utilised in any form.

Conservation

This species occurs in more than ten protected areas within the assessment region, including Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, and is a well-conserved species. It must, however, be noted that in parts of its range, large populations often occur in caves and mines outside formally protected areas. As such, continued roost protection is necessary. Additionally, this species would benefit from holistic land management that reduces pesticide use and conserves buffer strips of natural vegetation to sustain insect biomass. To pre-empt wind farms becoming a severe threat, mortalities from turbine collisions on wind farms should be mitigated through interventions such as using ultrasound to deter bats and curtailing turbines at low wind speeds (Baerwald et al. 2009; Berthinussen et al. 2010; Arnett et al. 2011).

Recommendations for land managers and practitioners:

Reduce pesticide use in agricultural landscapes and maintain buffer strips of natural vegetation.
Data sharing by wind farm managers into a national database is needed to be able to calculate cumulative impacts and thereafter implement collaborative mitigation and management efforts.

Research priorities:

Quantification of severity of local threats. For example, monitoring mortalities linked with windfarm operations and assessing impact on populations.
Systematic monitoring to measure overall population size and trends.

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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