Bats of Bougainville: Completing the Free, Prior and Informed Consent Process Prior to Initiating a Bat Conservation and Development Program

Lay the foundation for a long-term, locally driven and culturally sensitive effort of bat conservation by completing the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) process with the indigenous landowners who control the roosting and habitat areas for the greater monkey-faced bat (Pteralopex flanneryi) and the Bougainville monkey-faced bat (Pteralopex anceps), two species threatened by bushmeat hunting and agricultural land conversion. Neither of these species has been recorded on Bougainville, an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea, since 1968, but hope remains that targeted survey efforts will discover extant colonies, roost sites and foraging areas.