Field and laboratory research on bats over the past decades has revealed numerous aspects about these nocturnal and generally secretive animals that include some rather extraordinary details. This new information, combined with public education, helps to dispel some of the incorrect notions about bats found within different cultural folklores and cinema myths. Ongoing research and new works on regional bat faunas further advance knowledge on these fascinating creatures and their conservation. A few of the many possible examples are presented here.

In certain portions of the world where fruit bats have been locally extirpated – generally associated with human hunting pressures – a reduction can be measured in the ability of forests to redevelop naturally after some form of disturbance, such as cyclones or forest clearing. These animals play a major role in the dissemination of forest tree seeds and habitat regeneration and restoration. Detailed analyses of the faeces of insectivorous bats have revealed that some species consume a large number of mosquitoes and flies, the most important vectors in the transmission of different diseases that afflict humans, such as malaria and dengue. Certain bats can consume up to 500 insects per night and, hence, a colony of 1,000 individuals devours 500,000 insects per night or approaching 200 million per year! In 2006, over 247 million people across the world were afflicted with malaria – a significant proportion on the African continent. The contribution bats make to reduce the number of insects that transmit diseases should not be underestimated, and aid in increasing the number of day roost sites, often a limiting factor in population size, through devices such as artificial bat boxes should be encouraged. Finally, research in the past few years has found that bats play an even greater role in ecosystem functioning than previously realised, reducing levels of herbivorous insects in both temperate and tropical areas, including agricultural settings. Hence, in short, bats are unsung heroes for the different ecological services they provide to our planet and humanity. Declining bat populations may compromise these benefits, and improved information on aspects of their distribution and natural history is critical for advancing their conservation.

Bats of Southern and Central Africa: A Biogeographic and Taxonomic Synthesis contains an extraordinary wealth of information on these animals. It is a synthesis of over a century of research in the southern portion of the continent.