Bats!

The aftermath of the Covid19 pandemic, has given bats a very poor press. Fruit bats, however, are very different from their insect-eating cousins. As well as having a very different diet, they tend to be larger and to fly during the day. The Lake Agra company are planning to create a huge (7000 hectare) commercial farm, only 3 km from Kasanka National Park, in Zambia. Conservationists think this is likely to have catastrophic effects on wildlife. They are especially concerned about the fruit bats, undertaking a considerable migration in this area (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/21/farm-plan-poses-catastrophic-threat-to-zambian-park-vital-for-fruit-bats-aoe ). The bats touch-down on their migration in Kasanka, gorging on figs, fruit and berries. The fruit bats then become major dispersers of seeds, as they continue their flights. The creation of Lake Agra's commercial farm involves the planting of monocultures (e.g. wheat), the clearing of pristine scrub and the use of massive amounts of water from the nearby river. Kasanka does not seem to be a good location for a commercial enterprise on this scale.