{"id":13979,"date":"2021-11-01T05:21:03","date_gmt":"2021-11-01T05:21:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.environment-hawaii.org\/?p=13979"},"modified":"2021-11-02T03:02:35","modified_gmt":"2021-11-02T03:02:35","slug":"fws-proposes-downlisting-bat-from-endangered-to-threatened","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/?p=13979","title":{"rendered":"FWS Proposes Downlisting Bat From Endangered to Threatened"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Based on a new five-year status review<\/a> released earlier this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking to reclassify the \u2018\u014dpe\u2018ape\u2018a or Hawaiian hoary bat from endangered to threatened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The species was listed as endangered in 1970, \u201cbased on apparent habitat loss and limited knowledge of its distribution and life history requirements,\u201d the review states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite all of the research done in the decades since, largely spurred by the proliferation of wind farms throughout the state, the species\u2019 population size and overall population trends are still mysteries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, a lot more is known about their distribution and life history: The bats breed on Kaua\u02bbi, O\u02bbahu, and Hawai\u02bbi, and also likely breed on Maui and Moloka\u02bbi. They\u2019re also known to visit Kaho\u02bbolawe and be present on Lana\u02bbi. A 2007-2011 study suggests the Hawai\u02bbi island population is stable or increasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studies indicate there is geographic variation in the bats\u2019 genetic structure, but it \u201cdoes not clearly support taxonomic reclassification,\u201d the review states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wind farms, as part of their habitat conservation plans, have contributed millions of dollars toward research to better understand the animals and help determine what actions are needed to offset the bat deaths caused by their turbines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, the state Endangered Species Recovery Committee held a two-day workshop where the results of the research funded by these wind farms was presented. The review incorporates much of that work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOverall, over the last eight years, \u02bb\u014dpe\u02bbape\u02bba have been documented to occur over a much broader range than was known at the time of listing or when the species\u2019 recovery plan was finalized,\u201d the review states, also noting that the bats have been found to be highly mobile and to use fragmented habitats in a range of environments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile there are no monitoring methods that can quantify the abundance of \u02bb\u014dpe\u02bbape\u02bba on each island, all of the major Hawaiian islands are now recognized as providing roosting, breeding, and\/or foraging habitat for the species,\u201d it continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the last status review released a decade ago, the review identifies wind farms as a \u201cnew threat.\u201d Eight are currently operating and one is under construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBased on an 80 percent credibility standard used for modeling fatalities, the number of direct and indirect bat fatalities at all existing commercial wind projects on Maui are estimated to not exceed 11.3 bats per year,\u201d the review states. On O\u02bbahu, that number is 14.7 bats per year; on Hawai\u02bbi island, it\u2019s 3.2 bats per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wind farms operating at night do pose a risk to bats on those islands, but not so much to populations on Kaua\u2018i, L\u0101na\u02bbi, and Moloka\u2019i, which don\u2019t have wind farms. Although the bats are highly mobile, sometimes flying long distances in a single night, they generally do not move between islands, researchers have found. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe entire statewide population of \u02bb\u014dpe\u02bbape\u02bba are not at direct risk of extirpation from the limited operation of the wind farms on the islands of O\u02bbahu, Maui and Hawai\u02bbi, as not all individuals are likely to enter wind project sites and be killed,\u201d the review states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it notes that wind turbines operating at night, which is when \u02bb\u014dpe\u02bbape\u02bba are active, could cause a localized reduction in bat numbers if the facilities lie within the bats\u2019 core use areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The extent of that reduction \u201cdepends on how rapidly a niche vacated by a fatality is filled, and on the behavior of the resident \u02bb\u014dpe\u02bbape\u02bba population,\u201d the review states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the wind farms have been required to mitigate their take of the bats, through the conservation and management of forest lands, among other things, the effectiveness of those actions \u201cremains uncertain and requires continued research, monitoring, feedback, and adaptive management to ensure the mitigation meets the success criteria and the needs of the bat,\u201d it states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other \u201cnew\u201d threats identified in the review include timber harvesting, coqui frogs, and climate change. Timber harvesting of trees taller than 15 feet, which occurs mainly on Kaua\u02bbi and Hawai\u02bbi, is a threat to roosting bats and their dependent pups. Coqui frogs compete with the bats for food in low elevations, and climate change may foster the spread of those frogs to higher elevations, the review states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWarmer temperatures may allow an expansion of pupping habitat into higher-elevation areas, but may also affect habitat conditions by effecting changes to the prey base, resulting in suboptimal foraging conditions. These impacts may be mitigated by the ability of the \u02bb\u014dpe\u02bbape\u02bba to range widely in search of resources and its generalist diet,\u201d it adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these and other threats, the FWS found that it now knows enough about the bats to recommend a change in their status. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the Endangered Species Act, the review concludes, an endangered species \u201cis one which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. A threatened species is defined as any species that is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. The \u02bb\u014dpe\u02bbape\u02bba appears to possess resilience, redundancy, and representation across the islands such that it is not on the brink of extinction. Therefore, we conclude that the \u02bb\u014dpe\u02bbape\u02bba appropriately meets the definition of threatened under the ESA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Teresa Dawson<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Further Reading<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n