Nations Trust WNPS Monthly Lecture

By Dr. Tharaka Kusuminda,
Thursday, 20th March, 6 pm at Jasmine Hall, BMICH.

Bats are among the most endangered mammals, particularly in the tropical territory of Sri Lanka, due to decline in prey availability, pesticide use, roost destruction, and deforestation. A total of 31 bat species, belonging to eight families, have been documented in Sri Lanka. According to the National Redlist published in 2012, 18 (58%) Sri Lankan bat species are “nationally threatened” (five Critically Endangered, five Endangered, and eight Vulnerable). Bats play an important role as natural insect pest controllers, pollinators, and seed dispersers. Their natural insect pest control service is vital and known to provide their service for many agricultural crops, the livestock industry, and public health all over the world. They are responsible for the propagation of many plants useful to humans, including fruit trees and timber trees. Further, they are considered successful seed dispersers for facilitating rapid forest regeneration, particularly in tropical environments.

One-third of the mammal diversity in Sri Lanka is represented by bats, which inhabit all habitat types throughout the country. Most of the taxonomic studies conducted on countries bat diversity was restricted to the conventional trapping methods in the field and morphological techniques in the labs. However, with the application of integrated taxonomic study techniques such as deep morphological, molecular, and bioacoustic techniques, Sri Lankan bat scientists are gradually unveiling the true diversity of these winged mammals in the country.

Dr. Tharaka Kusuminda

Because of their vital ecosystem services, protecting and conserving bat fauna is crucial to the sustenance of this earth. Protecting existing bat roosts, introducing artificial bat roosts, reducing pesticide usage in agriculture, growing fruiting and insect-attracting plants, converting your home garden into a bat-friendly home garden, raising public awareness, and minimizing sound and light pollution are some important steps toward bat conservation.Dr. Tharaka Kusuminda is working on the taxonomy, ecology, and bioacoustics of bats in Sri Lanka and South Asia.

He completed his PhD in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Ruhuna and studied about the insectivorous bats and their ecosystem services in the tropical agricultural landscape. He has described two new bat species, including the first ever endemic bat species in the country, and rediscovered several bat species after decades. He has been studying bats since 2012 and making a significant contribution to current knowledge about bats by unveiling the hidden bat diversity.

He is a member of the national red-listing mammal expert team and a contributor for the global red-list assessments. Currently he is serving as a postdoctoral fellow in IDEAnet project of the Department of Zoology and Environment Sciences of the University of Colombo and extending his expertise into identification of potential zoonotic diseases in bats and other wild animals.

Join Dr. Tharaka Kusuminda at the Nations Trust WNPS Monthly Lecture as he reveals the hidden world of these winged mammals and why we must protect them.