A great way to end this year field research

A great way to end this year field research.

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Thanks to Rufford Small Grants .

Opportunitiess to work in different agricultural communities/settlements within the Omo Biosphere Reserve wouldn't have been possible without the funding we  received from Rudfords Small Grant.

We had great time speaking to major stakeholders about the importance of Biodiversity using bat species as a focal point or tool. Through our conservation educational outreach, we reached out to children. We started with those that we met within the communities without excluding children with the opportunity to attend school within the plantation around the J4 area. We taught them importance of forest to different bat species and Bat's relevance to the society both in time and space.

Batlife Conservation Education Outreach

We were able to speak to Heads of communities called Baale (we were well recieved), many farmers, hunters and women that are involved with palmoil production as well as those that deals with processing of harvested cocoa. We spoke on the Ecological importance of the small area that has been reserved for biodiversity conservation and how working together to protect it can translate to great benefit for them and generation yet unborn.

meet the hunters

We had heart to heart talk with many individuals using both indepth discussion as well as questionnaires and hope to continue our conversation outreach as they have shown interest in continuation. We spoke about the importance of both fruit and insect eating bat species to their activities and cultural beliefs. The role of bats as pollinators and dispersal agents of many indigenous tree species was emphasized. Also the role of insectivorous bats as  farmland pest pest reducing agent was stressed as revealed from the field research carried out around the farms that are close to the buffer areas of the Strict Nature reserve

It was a great opportunity to train students (undergraduate and postgraduate), research officials and rangers on the basic techniques to bat capture in the study of ecology and conservation of bat species in the southwest, Nigeria. A mind that knows, is a mind that's truly free.

##Special thanks to all our facilitators and amazing adviors- Dr Ulf Ottosson, Dr Taiye Adeyanju, Dr Crossby Omotoriogun, Professor Oluwayelu, Dr Bukola Daramola, Pastor Andrew Akintayo, the never tired Clifford Omonu and Emmanuel Olabode.
##Amazing team members: Adejumo Dolapo, Ukeme Yellow, Ayomiposi Ayodele, Habeeb Oyewo, Adegbola Festus, our amazing Uthman Oyebamiji, Oluwadamilare Opeoluwa Ayokunle​​

The facilitators at the workshop: From left Dr. Adeyanju, Mr Yellow, Prof. Oluwayelu, Mrs Adeyanju, and Dr Crossby 

 ##Supporting organisations and Institution: Forestry Research institute of Nigeria (FRIN); Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF); University of Ibadan.

 Get more from www.batlifeinitiative.blogspot.com
We look forward to great decade in bat ecology and conservation in Nigeria and beyond as we keep updating the bat species list and discovering more #batlifeinitiative connecting people back to nature#


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