Nicol Bolas
Member
bat guano is NOT SUSTAINABLE or eco-friendly - harvesting it destroys bat populations due to constant disturbances and destroys the cave ecosystems, many of which contain endangered species. Due to being cave adapted these species (such as blind albino fish etc.) have limited mobility - cave ecosystems frequently, in fact, contain strange and unique species who survive ONLY in that particular cave system. Since there is no light, the bat guano, being made of nutrient resources brought from outside, is the foundation of the cave food chain, like plants are everywhere else. When the gauno is harvested and the bat populations diminished, the cave food chain collapses and can never recover, as the unique, fascinating, and even unknown species it contains all die - and go extinct - from starvation.
Furthermore, insufficient research has been done on the impact of declining bat populations on the spread of virulent diseases, as bats are predators on many disease spreading insects, and as such constitute the first line of defense, and in the case of poor people in countries like Jamaica, THE line of defense against deadly diseases.
If we want to continue using bat guano rather than searching for alternative, actually sustainable fertilizers, we need a supplier who will not harvest excessivly and will protect the bats (for example, by harvesting in the evening when the bats are out hunting). I have heard of one such supplier but cannot find their website. If someone else knows the site please post it. I have never found a high-P source of guano that is sustainable. Mostly it comes from Jamaica where there aren't many laws on how you get it, though at least one organization has formed in protest of its destructive impact.
Furthermore, insufficient research has been done on the impact of declining bat populations on the spread of virulent diseases, as bats are predators on many disease spreading insects, and as such constitute the first line of defense, and in the case of poor people in countries like Jamaica, THE line of defense against deadly diseases.
If we want to continue using bat guano rather than searching for alternative, actually sustainable fertilizers, we need a supplier who will not harvest excessivly and will protect the bats (for example, by harvesting in the evening when the bats are out hunting). I have heard of one such supplier but cannot find their website. If someone else knows the site please post it. I have never found a high-P source of guano that is sustainable. Mostly it comes from Jamaica where there aren't many laws on how you get it, though at least one organization has formed in protest of its destructive impact.
