FLYING FOXES ON CHOISEUL (SOLOMON-ISLANDS) - THE NEED FOR CONSERVATION ACTION

The Choiseul 1995 project spent 6 months studying the Chiroptera of Ch oiseul, one of the least disturbed and most poorly known islands in th e Solomons. Among the results were: the rediscovery of a member of the Megachiropteran genus Pteralopex, which had been thought possibly ext inct; a new record of another endemic pteropodid with a limited distri bution; and evidence of a decline in the 'commonest' member of the fam ily in tile archipelago. The threats, present and future, to these ani mals and the forests of the island are discussed. An overview of the s tatus of Pteralopex spp, in the Solomons provides an insight into the need for conservation action in the country as a whole.