Scientists say that saving bats could prevent farming losses
April 1st, 2011 - 11:25 pm ICT by Aishwarya BhattNew York, April 1 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Scientists have put the value of the benefits of bats to the US farming industry at $22.9 billion every year.
Unfortunately the bats are now dying in hundreds of thousands of numbers and unless something is done quickly to stop the deaths, the entire bat colony in the United States could be wiped out. The culprit has been identified as the white-nose syndrome.
Findings of the economic importance of bats were published in the journal Science.
The scientists estimate that a single colony of bats which averagely consists of 130 bats could consume up to 1.3 million pest insects every year and that is quite significant for famers. The researchers criticized the seemingly lack of interest of the government to address the disappearance of the bats.
The research team was led by Justin Boyles of the University of Pretoria in South Africa. They wrote that, “Bats are among the most overlooked, yet economically important, non-domesticated animals in North America, and their conservation is important for the integrity of ecosystems and in the best interest of both national and international economies.”
The researchers warn that the loss of the bats could result in the loss of billions of dollars to farmers.
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