Introduction
Conservation biologists urgently need to develop pragmatic and science-based measures to protect remaining species and habitats from increasing degradation and loss (Ferraro, 2001). Human and public behaviour towards wildlife shape the successful conservation of species and their habitat (Clements et al., 2018; John et al., 2013). However, the public is often unaware of the numerous ecosystem services provided by the environment, which limits their conservation willingness and support (Madden, 2004). The Aichi Biodiversity Target 1 aims to address this stating that “By 2020, at the latest, people are aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably” (Moss et al., 2015). To develop effective conservation and management strategies, conservation biologists and policymakers must understand important drivers of human behaviour and attitudes towards species. For example, bats are often perceived as uncharismatic or even frightening by the public, and frequently misunderstood, with little recognition or attention regardless of the various ecosystem services they deliver. Bats are crucial to ecosystem functioning, especially through seed dispersal and pollination, maintaining gene flow within ecosystems, and bringing nutrients into cave ecosystems (Aziz et al., 2021; Aziz et al., 2017; Sritongchuay et al., 2016). Also, insect-eating bats suppress insect pests in the agroecosystems, thereby reducing the need for pesticide use (McCracken et al., 2012).
            Negative public perceptions of bats are pervasive as a consequence of the public’s lack of understanding about their economic and ecological roles (Aziz et al., 2017; Cousins and Compton, 2005; Low et al., 2021; Tanalgo and Hughes, 2019). One consequence of the lack of recognition of the services provided by bats is a deficient conservation prioritisation and funding to highlight them, and on some occasions culling of bats for a variety of unsubstantiated beliefs (Florens, 2016). In Mauritius, for example, an estimated 20,000 Pteropus niger, a species of flying fox endemic to the archipelago, have been legally persecuted without any scientific basis as a response to fruit crop loss (Florens, 2016). The association of bats to disease spread, coupled with sensationalised media coverage, has caused widespread public fear and unjustified persecution in many regions (López‐Baucells et al., 2018; Racey et al., 2018).
            One key measure to effectively counter public misconceptions is by raising positive perceptions of the focal species or habitat (Boso et al., 2021; Hoffmaster et al., 2016; Moss et al., 2015). There are various outlets to improve public perception toward species and promote wildlife conservation, including zoos, aquariums, and wildlife watching (Moss et al., 2015). These initiatives are widely known to promote “charismatic species” (e.g., elephants, tigers, pandas) (Colléony et al., 2017; Hausmann et al., 2017), but are very scarce for unfamiliar species like bats. Conservation education and outreach with communities have been shown to improve public understanding and acceptance of bats (Hoffmaster et al., 2016). Flying-fox viewing in Terengganu, Malaysia showed evidence of the potential of wildlife tourism as a conservation tool by raising public awareness and generating positive attitudes towards bats (Roslan et al., 2017). Similar to other wildlife tourism initiatives, bat-watching has the potential to raise awareness about bats and promote sustainable local development, therefore facilitating their conservation if conducted effectively and with appropriate sensitivity.
            Caves are widely used for ecotourism, facilitating environmental education and generating income (Bagstad and Wiederholt, 2013; Pennisi et al., 2004). In the Southwestern United States, effective examples include the Congress Avenue bridge in Austin, Texas, which generates an estimated 6.5 million USD annually from 242,000 bat viewing tourists from across America and beyond (Bagstad and Wiederholt, 2013; Pennisi et al., 2004). Ecotourism in Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak Malaysia includes bat emergence viewing with the area visited by an estimated 15,850 foreign and 8,815 domestic tourists annually and the generated revenues support governmental projects for the environment (Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak, 2018). Cave tourism should focus on the protection and conservation of bat species and associated ecosystems to sustain related ecosystem services provisions (e.g., pollination services of cave nectar bats) (Medellin et al., 2017). Nonetheless, bat biologists are concerned about the potential negative impacts of unregulated cave tourism and religious visits, especially in key sites with high bat biodiversity (Deleva and Chaverri, 2018; Furey and Racey, 2016; Tanalgo and Hughes, 2019). Ecotourism is complex because its definition and application are regularly misused, such as where it fails to effectively communicate the importance of biodiversity conservation (Cunha, 2010; Fernández‐Llamazares et al., 2020; Kiss, 2004; Ross and Wall, 1999) and require the integration of effective conservation messaging (Fernández‐Llamazares et al., 2020). Thus, science-based frameworks and strategies are crucial for optimising the effectiveness of ecotourism not only economically, but also to facilitate the protection of species and habitats. However, there is limited knowledge on the effectiveness of bat-watching and its ability to improve human-bat relations in many parts of the world particularly in the global south (Abdul Aziz et al., 2017; Debata, 2020).
            To address this gap, we performed an investigation in the world’s largest bat cave colony of Geoffroy's Rousette (Rousettus amplexicaudatus) in the south of the Philippines. We expect that tourists have higher negative perceptions and show little support towards bat conservation and management. Following other studies on ecotourism (Ross and Wall, 1999), we aimed to (a) explore the potential of bat-watching to raise tourists’ knowledge, attitudes towards bats, and determine how perceptions vary across demographic classes; and (b) elucidate predictors of conservation willingness among sampled tourists. We hope our findings will facilitate initiatives, constructive dialogue and collaboration between conservation biologists and ecotourism managers to design effective bat-watching programs to increase public support for bat conservation and management.