SAVE THE MARIANA FRUIT BAT
What Laws Protect Them? Are They Working?
Law Enforcement:
Endangered Species Act In 1984 the Mariana Fruit Bat was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, which is an act that requires conservation of endangered species and their ecosystems (Draft, 2009). This made all poaching illegal, but as you will read about below, poaching has not been monitored closely.
Poachers In the 1960s, the first law was passed to stop year long bat hunting, and made a 10 week season for hunting. The cruel poachers then had limited access to hunting, and in 1973, all hunting was prohibited. By the 1980s, the Mariana fruit bat received protection for being on the endangered species list! The Guam Department of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources (Guam DAWR) has employed some bat poacher enforcements, but in the 5 years prior to 2012, only two poachers have been caught (Draft, 2009). This has not been a very effective method thus far. Unfortunately, poachers are hard to catch because of the rough terrain filled with trees and mountains. They come into the forests sneakily, and get out without much trouble, which is why it is imperative that further law are made in the future in order to ensure the protection of this unique and essential bat.
Protected Areas Guam’s government has thankfully given four conservation reserves for nature and wildlife, each 1,700 acres, however it is not quite enough for this bat’s protection. These bats are extremely mobile creatures, and need all possible space to roam. Two reserves are in North Guam and two are in South Guam, but unfortunately there are no nature reserves in the Mariana Islands, where at least a quarter of the Mariana Fruit bat population is located (Draft, 2009). Three of these reserves provide healthy housing for fruit bats, but there is very limited poacher protection in them. There is no enforcement of poaching laws, and thus these habitats end up serving as hunting grounds, and are not very effective (Draft, 2009).
Potential Reserves There is an island in the Mariana Islands, called Cocos, which has no Brown Tree Snakes and has large potential to be a happy habitat for these sweet bats. However, due to tourist population increase, these bats would have their habitats further destroyed by humans if they were to form a habitat there (Draft, 2009).
Scientists are working hard to investigate further into the needs of the unique Mariana Fruit Bat, and their research should help them decide where the most habitat preservation and poacher control is needed (Marianna, 2012). The first official research began in 1972, which has been a great help in the development of knowledge on this species.
The island of Guam is considered a tropical marine biome, and it is affected by the northeast trade winds. This climate gives Guam unique wildlife that live only in Guam, and offers large potential for thriving species. The Guam DAWR opened an education department in the late 1900s, in which they taught people to appreciate the land and natural resources (Draft, 2009). Because there are no non profits that help the Mariana Fruit Bats, the Guam government had to step in (Draft, 2009). This program was broad, and focused on all native plants and animals, but focused on endangered species, especially fruit bats. This was a fairly effective program in which newspaper articles, talks, films, radio announcements, flyers, and other assorted advertising methods were used to help protect the unique island’s natural wildlife. However, late in the 1900s, after 12 years of this effective program, funds were no longer able to support this non profit section of the Guam DAWRs environmental efforts (Draft, 2009). Currently, there is little education on the topic.
One effective refuge for the Mariana Fruit Bat is on Guam, and is a fenced in area where the Mariana Fruit Bat can thrive. This was a key piece of help for this powerless and unprotected bat which needs all the help it can get. It is on a military base, which is a good use of a previously harmful cause of habitat fragmentation (White, 2013). This base is called the Anderson Air Force Base, and is proving to be extremely beneficial for the bats dwelling there. There, the bats are protected from the Brown Tree Snake and from poachers. The only downside to this refuge is the constant human influence, due to the fact that animals are tagged and monitored to watch their population growth (White, 2013).
Wildlife Refuge
Education
Research
