The Benefits of Bats: Celebrating the critical contributions of bats on International Bat Appreciation Day - IUCN

Every year on International Bat Appreciation Day (April 17), we get a chance to celebrate all that bats do for the world and its ecosystems.

Bats are important

From snapping up bugs in World Heritage-listed libraries to underpinning the tequila industry and regenerating forests, bats provide critical ecosystem services that help keep the planet balanced and biodiverse.

With over 1,480 species, bats exist on every continent except Antarctica. Bats are an ecologically and taxonomically diverse group accounting for roughly a fifth of mammalian diversity worldwide.

Bats contribute immensely to the health and wellness of planet Earth: they eat insect pests that destroy crops, saving farmers money and lowering the need for pesticides. They disperse seeds, helping to regenerate forests, and other habitats, and they pollinate flowers (including agave which provides mezcal and tequila), which contributes to keeping our food supply healthy and plentiful.

A UNESCO-IUCN report found that 70% of bat species can be found in World Heritage sites, including Gunung Mulu National Park (Malaysia), home to one of the largest colonies of wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bats (Mops plicatus) in the world (at over 3 million), and containing the cave with the greatest diversity of bats, as well as Chiribiquete National Park - “The Maloca of the Jaguar” (Colombia), home to 58 bat species.

Bats are also important for many cultures and communities around the world. For example, they support culturally important landscapes including vineyards and agricultural sites.

Bats are under pressure

Today, bats (among the most endangered of the world's creatures) are under unprecedented threat from widespread habitat destruction, hunting for food and medicine, accelerated climate change, invasive species, and other stressors. In the United States and Canada, White-nose Syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease that has killed millions of bats in North America in the past decade, is decimating bat populations. Meanwhile, in the East Rennell World Heritage site (Solomon Islands), iconic bat species appear to have become locally extinct following a mysterious mass mortality event.