Bat research efforts in the Philippines: a post-millennium review to identify future research prospects and priorities

Empirical evidence is important to develop effective conservation policies. The documentation and assessment of the status and threats towards a species and its habitat are essential steps toward developing appropriate policies to protect its population and mitigate existing to prevent future extinction. Bats are the example of taxa imperilled with the changing environment coupled with continuous human encroachment on its known habitats. Here, we summarize recent bat research in the Philippines using a bibliographic approach to assess progress and gaps both in different bat research areas and efforts towards each species in the post-millennia period (2000-2017). We examined 145 reports and peer-reviewed articles, including species records and research types. Our analysis revealed that regardless that most of the bat research in the Philippines are directed towards surveys in a certain geographic area, which generally limited in species inventories. Numerous species remain understudied and taxonomically unresolved. While other aspect of bat research especially on bat ecology and ecosystem services are not well understood. Remarkably, there is a growing effort in bat conservation initiatives in the Philippines involving the academe, NGO’s, and conservationists aiming to protect threatened population and habitats.