Abigail Karimanzira
- @Abigail
- | Miss
Through our project, awarded by the WILDLABS Awards 2024, we aim to establish three bat groups across Zimbabwe. These groups will be trained to use Echo Meter Touch 2 Pro bat detectors and Kaleidoscope Lite Analysis Software.
Our purpose is threefold:
- Raise awareness on bat conservation.
- Promote citizen science by engaging these groups in bat data collection and analysis.
- Advocate for the development of policies to protect bat species in Zimbabwe.
The bat groups will serve as platforms for:
- Knowledge sharing: Facilitating the exchange of information between researchers, conservationists, and local communities.
- Fostering collaboration: Encouraging teamwork among these groups for a more impactful approach to bat conservation.
We hope that this project will lead to a greater appreciation for bats in Zimbabwe and dispel the myths associated with them.
We are grateful to WILDLABS and ARM for awarding our project and to Bats Without Borders Zambia for their support.
4 April 2024 7:44pm
Awesome project!!
My own curiosity here - how many different bat species are there in Zimbabwe?
9 September 2024 2:28pm
Hi everyone
Our project on fostering bat conservation and citizen science in Zimbabwe has reached another level. To date, the project team has established two bat groups in Bulawayo and Chimanimani. Forty-three people from these two provinces have been educated on bat biology and trained in the use of bat detectors. The trainees appreciated the importance of bats in the environment, and that their conservation is essential.
Due to limited resources, the training sessions were not sufficient for the trainees, as the Kaleidoscope software for analyzing data is somewhat complex. A similar training workshop will be conducted in Harare.
Next steps of project:
Continue training bat group participants on using bat detectors and analyzing acoustic data;
Reach out to other areas and establish bat groups across the country;
Promote and research important habitats for bats in Zimbabwe.
We continue to express our gratitude to @wildlabs for funding the project. The team: @Ronnie @Ropafadzo @Karen
Carly Batist