A rare bat and a forest under pressure
In 2016, Dr. Iroro Tanshi surveyed more than 30 caves across Cross River National Park and Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary in southeastern Nigeria. She documented the short-tailed roundleaf bat (Hipposideros curtus) in Nigeria after 45 years without a recorded Nigerian sighting, according to the Goldman Environmental Prize.
The bat was not new to science. But its return to the record showed what still survived in these forests and caves—and what could still be lost.
Soon after the survey, a severe wildfire swept through the surrounding landscape. For Tanshi, finding a rare bat and protecting its habitat became inseparable. Her work now combines biodiversity research with community efforts to reduce fire risks around vulnerable forests.
Tanshi’s research and conservation work
Dr. Iroro Tanshi is a Nigerian conservation ecologist, bat researcher, and co-founder and co-executive director of the Small Mammal Conservation Organization, known as SMACON.
Her work focuses on small mammals, especially bats in the tropical forests and cave habitats of Cross River State. Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary and Cross River National Park are central to that work.
Through SMACON, Tanshi and her colleagues link bat research with habitat protection and locally organised fire prevention. The work asks practical questions alongside scientific ones: what threatens bat roosts, who lives near the forests, and how can communities help prevent avoidable damage?
That connection matters because a species record can show where conservation attention is needed, but it cannot protect a cave or forest by itself. Field surveys, local knowledge and practical risk reduction all have different roles.
What bat surveys found in Cross River forests
The 2016 record of the short-tailed roundleaf bat formed part of a wider picture of under-recorded bat diversity in Nigeria.
A peer-reviewed 2021 survey led by Tanshi in Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary and the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park recorded 36 bat species. Ten were newly recorded for Nigeria, raising the country’s known total at the time from 90 to 100 species, the paper said.
- Harp traps to catch bats moving through the forest understory
- Mist nets placed along likely flight paths
- Acoustic recordings to capture calls from bats that are difficult to catch
Each method detects different animals. Eight of the 10 new Nigerian records in the 2021 survey were captured only with harp traps. Without the right tools, a forest can appear less diverse than it is.
A 2019 study co-authored by Tanshi also recorded 239 bats from 27 species across Emu, Okomu National Park and Ososo in southern Nigeria, including two new country records.
Together, the studies show why fuller bat-survey evidence can inform protected-forest management in Nigeria. They also show that the picture can change as researchers sample different habitats and use complementary methods.
From bat research to wildfire prevention
The wildfire that followed the 2016 survey made habitat loss immediate. Fires can begin outside protected forest boundaries, including on farms or in areas burned for land management or hunting. Once they spread, they can damage forest cover and disturb roost sites.
Goldman reports that Tanshi and SMACON started the Zero Wildfire Campaign in 2017 in response.
The campaign works with people who know the landscape. It has included fire-risk surveys with residents, conversations with village leaders, public warnings during hazardous burning conditions, and locally drafted rules around fire use.
The Goldman profile states that five weather stations were installed in participating communities in January 2022. Temperature, humidity and wind data inform a daily colour-coded fire-risk system shared through signs and local announcements.
SMACON also trains community forest guardians to patrol farms, share safety information and respond to fire outbreaks. The approach relies on communication, local participation and quick action rather than treating fire risk as something that can be removed entirely.
What the fire-prevention results show
Goldman reports that 50 community forest guardians had been trained and equipped; collectively, they had patrolled at least 2,400 farms in the Afi Mountain area from January 2023 onward.
Its profile also records 74 responses to farm-fire outbreaks between early 2022 and spring 2025, with none becoming unmanageable wildfires.
Those figures show sustained prevention and response work in this landscape. They do not mean fires have stopped or that wildfire risk has disappeared. The outcomes come from the campaign as presented in the Goldman profile, not from a published independent impact evaluation.
Fire prevention must continue through changing weather, farming seasons and pressure on land. The reported figures are useful for understanding the scale of activity, while longer-term independent assessment would be needed to judge wider ecological outcomes.
Why bat habitat protection still matters
The Mammal Diversity Database, which links to the IUCN Red List assessment, lists the short-tailed roundleaf bat as Endangered.
Its known range includes Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria. In Nigeria, cave disturbance, hunting, habitat degradation and escaped fires can all place pressure on the species.
Protecting endangered bats in Nigeria takes more than a single sighting or a protected-area boundary. It requires continued monitoring, better knowledge of where species live, and attention to risks around forests and roosts.
In a 2022 peer-reviewed study, Tanshi and her co-authors compared the taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of forest-interior insectivorous bats in unlogged protected forests at Afi Mountain and Cross River National Park with sites in Indonesia and Malaysia.
The research looks beyond species totals to examine the evolutionary variety and ecological roles represented within these forests. That kind of comparison can help researchers understand what protected forests retain and where further monitoring may be needed.
Why this work matters
Tanshi received the Future For Nature Award in 2020, the Whitley Award in 2021, the UCLA Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award in 2023, and the Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa in 2026.
The recognition has brought wider attention to work that joins research with community action. But Afi Mountain’s forests and the species within them still face pressure.
Tanshi’s work began with a bat missing from Nigerian records for decades. It continues in the forests, caves, farms and communities around the places that bat needs to survive.
Dr. Iroro Tanshi is a Nigerian conservation ecologist, bat researcher and SMACON co-founder and co-executive director. SMACON supports small-mammal research and protection work in Nigeria, including the bat surveys and wildfire-prevention activity described here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the 2016 short-tailed roundleaf bat record important?
It confirmed the species’ presence in Nigeria after 45 years without a recorded Nigerian sighting, according to Goldman. The short-tailed roundleaf bat is currently listed as Endangered by the IUCN-linked Mammal Diversity Database.
What did the Cross River bat surveys reveal?
The 2021 peer-reviewed survey recorded 36 species and 10 new Nigerian country records. The paper said these findings raised the known national total at that time from 90 to 100 species. That was not presented as today’s total.
Why use harp traps, mist nets and acoustic recordings?
The methods detect different bats. Mist nets and harp traps capture animals in flight, while acoustic recordings pick up calls. Using several methods reduces the chance of missing species; eight of the 10 new country records in the 2021 survey were captured only with harp traps.
How can people support bat conservation?
People can support credible conservation organisations, volunteer in local habitat-protection activities, avoid disturbing bats and caves, and learn about wildlife in nearby forests. Support should reflect each organisation’s stated work and responsible practice.
