Two bat activities in Kazakhstan successfully completed

Training of Trainers on bat identification

The programme began with a Training of Trainers (ToT) on bat identification, jointly organised by the Succow Foundation, the Institute of Zoology of Kazakhstan and experts from the Berlin Natural History Museum. About 45 participants attended the theoretical kick-off seminar at the Institute of Zoology of Kazakhstan which covered topics such as bat biology, diversity, ecology and conservation. The training was followed by field sessions in Altyn-Emel National Park – one of the project’s pilot sites. Participants gained hands-on experience in mist-netting, safe bat handling, acoustic monitoring, data processing, and roost searches. Seven participants from the Institute of Zoology of Kazakhstan, the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK), and Altyn-Emel National Park took part in the field sessions. They were trained to further apply and disseminate their newly acquired knowledge within their respective institutions. 

International bat expedition

Following the training, a field expedition on bats brought together experts from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Germany, and Switzerland. Fieldwork was conducted in the project pilot sites State Regional Natural Park “Merke” and at the Field Station “Chokpak”. The expedition focused on documenting bat diversity and identifying species, while also collecting information on their distribution and habitat use. During the fieldwork, a total of 14 bat species were documented, providing valuable baseline data for the project.

Bats as part of the One Health approach

Bats are important bioindicators and therefore play a valuable role in the project’s One Health approach. Its population in Kazakhstan, as well as in the most of other Central Asian countries was not in focus of scientists for decades. Together, the training and expedition represent an important step towards strengthening expertise and long-term capacity for bat research, monitoring and conservation in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

Further information (in German)

„Mission Fledermaus – von Wissen und Begeisterung, die weitergegeben werden sollen“