The follow-up to the successful 2016 Flying Fox forum was held in Sydney in late October. This years’ event attracted almost 100 delegates to a day of thought-provoking research updates, state updates and workshops. One workshop focussed on developing a guideline for managing Heat Stress Events (HSE) for flying-fox camps and the other was on a structure research gap analysis. The forum also provided an update on the National Flying-fox Strategic Vision and delegates were asked to contribute to the implementation of the strategic vision over the next 12 months.

The forum brought together representatives from:

• 21 local governments and LG associations
• Six universities
• NSW Office of Environment and Heritage
• NSW Department of Primary Industries
• NSW Department of Transport
• Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection
• Queensland Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation
• Queensland Herbarium
• Commonwealth Department of the Environment and Energy
• Commonwealth Department of Agriculture and Water Resources
• CSIRO
• Bat conservation and wildlife carer groups
• Ecological consultants.

An important output of the forum will be an HSE Guideline that will have the ambitious target of a draft document ready for the 2017-18 summer season. HSE occur during heatwave conditions and flying-foxes become unable to regulate their body temperatures, eventually leading to death. Forum participates were keen to provide their knowledge of historical events and to share strategies that could be included in a draft guideline.

The EIANZ and National Flying-fox Forum Committee would like to thank our organising partners Ecosure, Logan City Council and LGNSW. We would also like to thank our sponsors EcoLogical Australia and Logan City Council.

Please visit our Facebook page to stay up to date for the 2018 forum!

Above: The Forum Organising Committee (from left to right: Emily Hatfield from Ecosure; Leanne Veage from Logan City Council; Rod Hardwick from EIANZ; Jess Bracks from Ecosure/ABS; Dave Fleming from Ecosure/EIANZ)