Student: Scotti Reed
Graduation date: May 2017
Type: Area of Interest (double major)
Date approved: November 2014
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Summary
Many countries have adopted laws to protect and preserve biodiversity with legislation such as the United States Endangered Species Act, Australia’s Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, and the international agreement at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Dales 2011). Despite these similar actions, the rehabilitation, protection, and conservation of biotic agents in an ecosystem have varied significantly from place to place (Dales 2011, Esselstyn et al. 2006).
Fruit bats (suborder Megachiroptera, also known as flying foxes, megabats, or Old World bats) are frugivorous flying mammals, and act as important dispersal mechanisms for various plants and animals, including bryophytes and other microorganisms (Parsons et al. 2006). Unfortunately, fruit bat species have experienced alarming rates of extinction, with 4% being lost entirely in the past 500 years, and 34% of known species facing high risks of extinction (Jones et al. 2006). These creatures are thought to be a keystone species and very critical to the pollination of fickle flora on various oceanic islands (Esselstyn et al. 2006). Their populations have been in decline for various reasons, particularly hunting, in combination with disease, parasites, and natural disasters (Buettner et al. 2013, Esselstyn et al. 2006, Breed et al. 2011).
The loss of fruit bat populations may or may not have impacts on the larger ecosystems, but that question is more appropriately answered in a biological context. The differences in relative success of various countries with native fruit bat populations can provide insight into how best conserve the species that are at risk. Furthermore, examining how policy and cultural attitudes towards fruit bats interact may yield more answers on why differences in conservation efficacy exist, and whether or not the population decline is solely a biological issue.
I have chosen to analyze the social, cultural, and legislative differences within the Indo-Australian region and Eastern Africa, all of which are experiencing difficulties with native fruit bat populations. It should be noted that fruit bats exist in other countries I have not included in my concentration. However, I am focusing on the regions I have chosen because the majority of the fruit bat species in these areas are threatened or endangered while species in other areas, such as Pakistan and India, have very stable populations (O’Brian et al. 2009). Furthermore, these spheres I am choosing to examine each experience different barriers regarding fruit bat conservation legislation, though these dilemmas are not found in other zones.
In particular, the ecological significance of fruit bats will be documented (descriptive questions) and analyzed (explanatory questions), while policy will be considered in terms of effectiveness (evaluative questions) and suggestions will be made for future years (instrumental questions). This is the framework I will work from, and can then integrate more biologically focused questions about specific fruit bat populations, utilizing my biology major and interest in conservation genetics.
The issue of policy efficacy is important when considering the attention and emphasis conservationism receives, and especially how developing nations are viewed in regards to endangered species management. Hopefully, this research will further explain in a detailed manner how and why policy varies, and which policies work, and for what reasons.
Breed, Andrew C., Martin F. Breed, Joanne Meers, and Hume E. Field. 2011. “Evidence of Endemic Hendra Virus Infection in Flying-Foxes (Pteropus Conspicillatus)–Implications for Disease Risk Management.” PLoS ONE 6 (12): 1–7. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0028816.
Buettner, Petra G., David A. Westcott, Jennefer Maclean, Lawrence Brown, Adam McKeown, Ashleigh Johnson, Karen Wilson, et al. 2013. “Tick Paralysis in Spectacled Flying-Foxes (Pteropus Conspicillatus) in North Queensland, Australia: Impact of a Ground-Dwelling Ectoparasite Finding an Arboreal Host.” PLoS ONE 8 (9): 1–10. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0073078.
Dales, Jessica T., Student Author. 2011. “Death by a Thousand Cuts: Incorporating Cumulative Effects in Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.” Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal 20 (1): 149–78.https://login.watzekpx.lclark.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lgs&AN=502142191&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Esselstyn, Jacob A., Arjun Amar, and Dustin Janeke. 2006. “Impact of Post-Typhoon Hunting on Mariana Fruit Bats (Pteropus Mariannus).” Pacific Science 60 (4): 531–39. https://login.watzekpx.lclark.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eih&AN=21559224&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Jones, Kate E., Andy Purvis, and John L. Gittleman. 2003. “Biological Correlates of Extinction Risk in Bats.”American Naturalist 161 (4): 601–14. doi:10.1086/368289.
O’Brien, John, Carol Mariani, Link Olson, Amy L. Russell, Ludovic Say, Anne D. Yoder, and Tom J. Hayden. 2009. “Multiple Colonisations of the Western Indian Ocean by Pteropus Fruit Bats (Megachiroptera: Pteropodidae): The Furthest Islands Were Colonised First.” Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution 51 (2): 294–303.doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.02.010.
Parsons, J. G., A. Cairns, C. N. Johnson, S. K. A. Robson, L. A. Shilton, D. A. Westcott, and Alan Green. 2007. “Bryophyte Dispersal by Flying Foxes: A Novel Discovery.” Oecologia 152 (1): 112–14. doi:10.1007/s00442-006-0639-1.
Questions
- Descriptive: What are the ecological roles of fruit bats? What are the policies in place in the three regions, and how do they differ? How are fruit bats viewed in each sphere?
- Explanatory: Why are species threatened? Why do different areas have different views? Why does existing policy fail in some places but function in others?
- Evaluative: How does policy influence public opinion, and vice versa? Which regions are best suitable for population recovery? What makes policy effective?
- Instrumental: How can policy best be modified to adequately satisfy the different actors surrounding fruit bat conservation? What scale is most effective?
Arts and humanities courses
- HIST 261 (Global Environmental History, 4 credits). Pre-approved A&H course; no justification required.
- HIST 298-FI (History of the Nuclear Age, 4 credits). Issues and culture surrounding nuclear elements, energy, and politics. I believe this course would provide an opportunity to consider the interrelationship between science and policy implementation, which is crucial to my concentration analysis. Not only does this topic examine policy within different countries, but also conflicts, cooperation, and dialogue between countries when adopting legislation. This is similar to the situation in the regions I am studying, with the object of concern not a nuclear component, but fruit bats.