Vulnerability of Cave Roosting Bats to Anthropogenic Disturbances Within the Mount Elgon Region, Uganda

Uganda is home to a rich diversity of bats, which carry high ecological and socioeconomic value through the ecosystem services that they provide. However, critical bat habitats including caves are facing increasing anthropogenic pressures, and the types and frequencies of disturbances to cave-roosting bats are not well understood in Uganda. Therefore, we examined the role of anthropogenic disturbances in caves to assess the threats posed to bat populations. We used the Bat Cave Vulnerability Index (BCVI) framework to evaluate the likely effects of anthropogenic disturbance on the cave bats inhabiting 14 caves within the study region. We included qualitative surveys with human communities to better understand various aspects within the BCVI. All bat species recorded are of the IUCN category - “Least Concern”. The BCVI ranked 50% of the caves as “High” and “Moderate” priority for conservation interventions due to high bat diversity and anthropogenic disturbance and determined that most caves studied were highly vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance. All the caves we studied (except two) are outside the protected area, and due to their imputed vulnerabilities, interventions ought to be implemented to balance cave conservation and human use in the Mt Elgon area. Such interventions should integrate human dimensions.