Study area and focal species
We conducted our survey in the Monfort Bat Cave Sanctuary (MBCS)
(7o 09’ 53.42” N, 125o 41’ 31.99”
E) located in the Southern Island of Mindanao, Philippines. The
five-chambered cave is the world’s largest colony of the fruit bat,Rousettus amplexicaudatus, with an estimated 1.8 to 2 million
individuals (Locke 2006). This cave was opened for tourism in early 2005
and is privately-owned and protected by the Monfort family. The cave
prohibits hunting and guano harvesting. The cave’s chambers and mouth
are vertically open, which allows tourists to view the day-roosting bats
(Figure 1). The tourism flow in MBCS varies depending on the day of the
week, with 30 to 100 tourists per day. Income from bat cave tourism
chiefly flows into local livelihoods (e.g., wages) and enhances the
sustainability and protection of the cave site. Bat-watching also
includes a brief 20-minute conservation education lecture about bats,
caves, and MBCS history.