Inform local communities about the negative impacts of bat hunting to reduce killing of bats

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

50%
Certainty

20%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Education programmes that emphasize the negative impacts of bat hunting and the role of bats in providing ecosystem services are being implemented in some countries, and may benefit bats (e.g. Entwistle 2001, Trewellha et al. 2005). However, there are many factors that influence human behaviour, and it may be necessary to collaborate with social scientists to design appropriate education programmes (e.g. see Kingston 2016). See also ‘Inform local communities about disease risks from hunting and eating bat meat to reduce killing of bats’.

Entwistle A. (2001) Community-based protection successful for the Pemba flying fox. Oryx, 35, 355–356.

Kingston T. (2016) Cute, creepy, or crispy – How values, attitudes, and norms shape human behavior toward bats. Pages 571–595 in: Voigt C.C. & Kingston T. (eds.) Bats in the Anthropocene: Conservation of Bats in a Changing World. Springer International Publishing, Cham.

Trewhella W.J., Rodriguez-Clark K.M., Corp N., Entwistle A., Garrett S.R.T., Granek E., Lengel K.L., Raboude M.J., Reason P.F. & Sewall B.J. (2005) Environmental education as a component of multidisciplinary conservation programs: lessons from conservation initiatives for critically endangered fruit bats in the western Indian Ocean. Conservation Biology, 19, 75–85.

Study locations

Key messages

One study evaluated the effects of informing local communities about the negative impacts of bat hunting to reduce killing of bats on bat populations. The study was in Ghana.

COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

POPULATION RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

BEHAVIOUR (1 STUDY)

Behaviour change (1 study): One before-and-after study in Ghana found that after providing education about the ecological roles of bats fewer hunters intended to hunt bats in the future.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A before-and-after study in 2009–2011 in a rural region of southern Ghana (Kamins et al 2015) found that after education about the negative impacts of bat hunting, fewer hunters intended to hunt bats in the future than before the education was provided. In response to a questionnaire, fewer hunters (2 of 4) stated they intended to hunt bats in the future after they were given education about the negative impacts of bat hunting than before (all 4 of the hunters), although sample sizes were small and the difference was not tested for statistical significance. In 2009–2011, each of four bat hunters was interviewed with the same set of questions before and after a brief education piece was provided including verbal explanations of the important ecological roles of bats.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Kamins A.O., Rowcliffe J.M., Ntiamoa-Baidu Y., Cunningham H.M., Wood J.L.N. & Restif O. (2015) Characteristics and risk perceptions of Ghanaians potentially exposed to bat-borne zoonoses through bushmeat. EcoHealth, 12, 104-120.

Please cite as:

Berthinussen, A., Richardson O.C. and Altringham J.D. (2021) Bat Conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Interventions. Conservation Evidence Series Synopses. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Bat Conservation

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