Harrison Institute

epresentatives from India [Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala], Nepal and Sri Lanka; (2) to promote
networking between South Asia and Southeast Asia (additional delegates from Lao PDR and Thailand also attended).
Nikky is currently developing further links and projects in India and the Institute will be hosting a visit from an Indian
student, Sreehari Raman, working on bat research, acoustics and GIS in March, 2013. Meanwhile Paul Bates
published a chapter on Indian bats in a long-anticipated book entitled The Mammals of South Asia and Malcolm
Pearch was a co-author of a paper on Nepalese bats, which was a follow-up to his monograph on Nepalese small
mammals that was published in 2011.
Further to her work in India, Nikky has also
co-ordinated a project which is summarising
the bat fauna of Lao PDR. Working with
amongst others Bounsavane Douangboubpha
(Lao PDR), Will Duckworth (UK), and
Charles Francis (Canada), she recently
submitted an extensive paper on the subject
(including 90 distribution maps) to Acta
Chiropterologica. This work benefited from
her collaboration with University of
Greenwich, where Dr Meredith Williams
assisted Nikky with the GIS mapping
programme.
Dr Chutamas Satasook, Vice President of the Prince of Songkla University
(right) with the events manager of Laguna Resort (left), Darwin Initiative
student, Ms Ariya Dejtaradol, and PSU Museum staff member, Ms Amphorn
Plupplueng. Dr Chutamas was host and co-ordinator of the first International
Ornithological Congress of Southeast Asia. This bird conference
was organised by the Prince of Songkla University with the Harrison
Institute and the University of Ulm and took place in November, 2012.
Thailand.
In February, 2012, Nikky took part in a
training workshop in southern Thailand, the
aim of which was to test the efficacy of
acoustic lures in facilitating research of
vespertilionid bats. This workshop was led by
Dr David Hill of Kyoto University, Japan and
included the bat research team based at the
Prince of Songkla University.
The Prince of Songkla University has been central to most of our work in Southeast Asia. We are all most grateful to
Dr Chutamas Satasook (former Dean of Science, Vice President of the University and Director of the University’s
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural History Museum) who has given us constant support and encouragement.
Working together with Dr Chutamas has ensured that the Institute’s Darwin Initiative project ‘Enhancing taxonomic
capacity to underpin tropical biodiversity conservation (SE Asia)’ has maximised its possible outputs. Currently, these
include training nine postgraduate students. Four are studying for PhD degrees – three in bat taxonomy (from
Thailand, Lao PDR and Cambodia) and one in bird taxonomy (from Thailand). Five students are studying for MSc
degrees – four in rodent taxonomy (from Bhutan, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Zambia) and one in amphibian taxonomy
(from Bhutan).
Other highlights of this year emanating from the Darwin project include hosting the first conference in Southeast Asia
dedicated to bird research (the International Ornithological Congress of Southeast Asia) which took place in Khao
Dr Swen Renner of the University of Ulm, scientific co-ordinator of the International Ornithological Congress of Southeast Asia,
with delegates. In addition to the conference, in 2012, Paul Bates collaborated with Swen on the supervision of Darwin student
Ariya Dejtaradol and on a paper on German birds. In 2013, further collaboration is planned for biodiversity research in Myanmar.
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