Endangered Spectacled Flying-fox: a review of past and current knowledge and future needs to re-start its recovery

Abstract

The Spectacled Flying-fox has declined by 75% over the past two decades, falling in status from vulnerable to endangered even while a recovery plan was in place. This review is the first in 13 years and is necessary to bring the knowledge of the species up to date and to identify some of the most pressing issues in the bat’s conservation. Foremost among these are the already apparent extreme heat events which were not anticipated in earlier studies and plans, compounded by continuing habitat loss and declining habitat condition, deterioration of food resources that support the species, community and political pressure to disperse roosts in urban areas and diseases that disproportionately affect young and mothers in this slow-reproducing species. Perceptions of this keystone species have been coloured by the advent of Covid-19 and fears that these bats transmit coronavirus directly to humans (which they do not). It has been difficult to change negative attitudes, so better approaches to changing community perceptions are needed. Greater diligence is required to ensure recovery action is taken, to avert the threats to this keystone species and to obtain the resources to help it recover.