The conservation of species and their habitats is a priority, but it is a complicated business. The public’s major focus is, not unnaturally, on saving ‘big profile’ species, while scientists and conservationists must take difficult and delicate decisions on how best to safeguard a whole ecosystem by considering all the elements within it, from major predators down to the smallest invertebrate. Focusing on one species at the expense of others can have serious outcomes for all. Here, two of our scientists give insights into the interrelationship between large herbivores and their refuge in Africa’s oldest park, and investigate the role of threatened bat populations in Malaysia’s rainforest ecosystems.

Malaysian Bat Conservation
Dr. Tigga Kingston (Boston University)

Since the mid 1990s, Malaysia has been losing its rainforests at a rate of 2.4 percent a year to logging, agriculture, and resort development; and with this rainforest loss, Malaysia is also losing bats. Today, 34 species in Malaysia are listed on the IUCN Red List of threatened and endangered species. Rainforest bats are particularly vulnerable as they are adapted just for forest living. Not only are bats a key component of Malaysian biodiversity, they also provide valuable services in pollination, seed-dispersal and the predation of troublesome insect pests.

Zebras, Giraffes & Rhinos of the Savannah
Sue van Rensburg (KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service)

Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in South Africa was the last refuge for white rhinos a century ago. Now it harbours a healthy population of 1,650, as well as black rhinos, giraffes, elephants, zebras and others, but all these large herbivores have an enormous impact on the ecosystem. An overpopulation of any one of them can mean massive destruction to their habitats and instability to the other wildlife populations. Sue van Rensburg is conducting an ongoing survey of the 15 largest herbivores in the park, thereby contributing to a long-term database of population trends and supporting effective management.

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