State of India’s Bats Research and Conservation Action Priorities
Rohit Chakravarty, B.R. Ansil, Trisa Bhattacharjee, Balaji Chattopadhyay, Pratik Das, Kadambari Deshpande, Nithin Divakar, D. Pilot Dovih, Shraddha Kumari K, Gagandeep Kaur, Dhanusha Kawalkar, M. Mathivanan, Ram Mohan, Sanjay Molur, Baheerathan Murugavel, Thangsuanlian Naulak, Rahul Prabhukhanolkar, Harish Prakash, Rajesh Puttaswamaiah, Sreehari Raman, Manchi Shirish S., Kasturi Saha, Uttam Saikia, Kalu Ram Senacha, Tariq Ahmed Shah, Bhargavi Srinivasulu, Chelmala Srinivasulu, Adora Thabah | April 2026
Abstract
In 2002, the Status of South Asian Chiroptera: Conservation Assessment and Management Plan (CAMP) workshop was organised by Zoo Outreach Organisation (ZOO), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, and the former Chiroptera Conservation and Information Network of South Asia and hosted by Madurai Kamaraj University[43]. This landmark workshop set the precedent for a roadmap for bat research and conservation in India and South Asia in the coming years. During this workshop, 43 bat experts from Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, the United Kingdom, and the United States assessed the status of all 120 bat species known from South Asia at that time. Based on their status assessments for these species and their field experiences, the participants made recommendations for further research and conservation in the region.