We were delighted to host the FIRST Pan African student symposium bringing together early career researchers working on African bats! #AfriPopo2022
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Thank you to our AfriPopo student symposium sponsors:
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This symposium was a great opportunity for students and postdoctoral researchers working across mainland Africa, and the surrounding islands, to showcase their work and network with others in the bat research and conservation space. This two-day symposium was organised thanks to a student committee (listed at end of this page) with support from Advisors from Bats without Borders and the Durban Natural Science Museum. We are very grateful to our symposium sponsors Wildlife Acoustics and WildTeam.
Why we felt this symposium was needed:
In a time where African biodiversity is experiencing major declines due to climate change and anthropogenic pressures, biodiversity research and collaborations around the continent have become more important than ever to tackle current and potential threats to biodiversity. The AfriPopo Student Symposium brought students together to network, share ideas, and increase their knowledge in research and conservation. Research students could either present a talk or poster.
The idea for this conference was taken from BritBats (a student-led symposium for anyone studying bats at a UK institute) - where students have an opportunity to share their work and practice presenting in a supportive environment.
Students were very welcome to attend as observers, but we really encourage students to consider presenting a poster or talk - as the event was closed and not recorded it was a friendly and supportive environment to practice presenting work.
There were also opportunities to network and to sign up for workshops. For those presenting, there were information sessions and tips on preparing their presentation (poster or talk).
A big thank you to all our presenters, student committee, and also to our keynote speakers for opening and closing the symposium, and to our workshop leaders for additional shared learning.
Introduction:
Dr Rachael Cooper-Bohannon
An overview of the weekend symposium and an introduction to Bats without Borders – vision, mission, challenges and opportunities
Keynote speakers:
Dr David Wechuli (early career keynote) - University of Cape Town, South Africa (originally from Kenya)
'Variation in echolocation pulse source level and detection distances of bat assemblages across sites'
BAT DIVERSITY
Josphat Etabo - 'Bat activity and species richness along a gradient of human disturbance at Lake Naivasha Area'
Laura Torrent - 'A taxonomic review of Equatorial Guinea bat species to root an urgent Bat Conservation Policy'
Monday Veli Mdluli - 'Quantifying the effects of climate change and anthropogenic changes on bat communities in Afromontane grasslands'
Yoba Alenga - 'Bat sonotype as a novel insight into the Congo Basin Rainforest dynamic'
THREATS - DEFORESTATION / CLIMATE CHANGE
Sospeter Kibiwot - 'Effects of forest degradation on bats at south and north Nandi Forest, Western Kenya'
Patrick Jules Atagana - 'Impact of the habitat type and climate change on the bats’ community (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the Dja Biosphere Reserve (South, Cameroon)'
GENETIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
Bismark Opoku - 'Cryptic diversity in West African Noack’s round-leaf bat Hipposideros aff. Ruber'
Ana Gledis da Conceição - 'The relationship between the morphology of the vestibular system and echolocation parameters of bats of Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique'
Workshops:
Please download the full AfriPopo Student Symposium here:
Why we felt this symposium was needed:
In a time where African biodiversity is experiencing major declines due to climate change and anthropogenic pressures, biodiversity research and collaborations around the continent have become more important than ever to tackle current and potential threats to biodiversity. The AfriPopo Student Symposium brought students together to network, share ideas, and increase their knowledge in research and conservation. Research students could either present a talk or poster.
The idea for this conference was taken from BritBats (a student-led symposium for anyone studying bats at a UK institute) - where students have an opportunity to share their work and practice presenting in a supportive environment.
Students were very welcome to attend as observers, but we really encourage students to consider presenting a poster or talk - as the event was closed and not recorded it was a friendly and supportive environment to practice presenting work.
There were also opportunities to network and to sign up for workshops. For those presenting, there were information sessions and tips on preparing their presentation (poster or talk).
A big thank you to all our presenters, student committee, and also to our keynote speakers for opening and closing the symposium, and to our workshop leaders for additional shared learning.
Introduction:
Dr Rachael Cooper-Bohannon
An overview of the weekend symposium and an introduction to Bats without Borders – vision, mission, challenges and opportunities
Keynote speakers:
Dr David Wechuli (early career keynote) - University of Cape Town, South Africa (originally from Kenya)
'Variation in echolocation pulse source level and detection distances of bat assemblages across sites'
BAT DIVERSITY
Josphat Etabo - 'Bat activity and species richness along a gradient of human disturbance at Lake Naivasha Area'
Laura Torrent - 'A taxonomic review of Equatorial Guinea bat species to root an urgent Bat Conservation Policy'
Monday Veli Mdluli - 'Quantifying the effects of climate change and anthropogenic changes on bat communities in Afromontane grasslands'
Yoba Alenga - 'Bat sonotype as a novel insight into the Congo Basin Rainforest dynamic'
THREATS - DEFORESTATION / CLIMATE CHANGE
Sospeter Kibiwot - 'Effects of forest degradation on bats at south and north Nandi Forest, Western Kenya'
Patrick Jules Atagana - 'Impact of the habitat type and climate change on the bats’ community (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the Dja Biosphere Reserve (South, Cameroon)'
GENETIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
Bismark Opoku - 'Cryptic diversity in West African Noack’s round-leaf bat Hipposideros aff. Ruber'
Ana Gledis da Conceição - 'The relationship between the morphology of the vestibular system and echolocation parameters of bats of Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique'
Workshops:
- Workshop 1 – African bat taxonomy and diversity
Dr Leigh Richards, Durban Natural Science Museum
Moderator: Veli Mdluli - Workshop 2 – An introduction to sound and call analysis
by Wildlife Acoustics (Paul Howden-Leach)
Moderator: Sospeter Kibiwot
Please download the full AfriPopo Student Symposium here:
| Afripopo_student_symposium_2022_-_full_programme (English).pdf |
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