# Africa's Bats Face Climate Crisis > Climate change threatens Africa's cave-dwelling bats unless they find new roosts. - Title: Africa's Bats Face Climate Crisis · Allafrica | Shortify - Summary: Climate change threatens Africa's cave-dwelling bats unless they find new roosts. Africa's cave-dwelling bats may lose up to 64% of suitable habitat by 2080… - Keywords: africa, climate change, bats, cave-dwelling bats, miniopteridae, sub-saharan africa, wildlife conservation, roosts, climate models, habitat loss, news, world - Source: Allafrica — https://allafrica.com/stories/202610220008.html - Published: 2026-10-22T04:47:48+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: africa, climate change, bats, cave-dwelling bats, miniopteridae, sub-saharan africa, wildlife conservation, roosts, climate models, habitat loss, news, world ## Climate Change Threatens Wildlife Climate change and land use changes are the two biggest threats to wildlife by altering animal habitats. ## Bats Especially Vulnerable Bats have slow reproductive rates, depend on stable roosts, and need insects for food as climate shifts. ## Cave Dependency Problem Cave-dependent bats can't survive in climatically suitable areas without access to caves for roosting. ## Research Focus on Bats Mariëtte Van Der Walt has studied bats since 2017 to understand climate change impacts on wildlife. ## Modeling Bat Habitats Researchers built a model to track how climate change affects cave-dwelling bats across sub-saharan africa. ## Climate Suitability Declines Suitable climate areas for bats could shrink by 36% to 64% by 2061-2080 if warming continues. ## Cave Availability Problem Only 5% of suitable climate areas also have caves, dropping to 2% when considering landscape vulnerability. ## Landscape Connectivity Matters Bats need networks of caves across landscapes to move between feeding and resting areas. ## Conservation Challenge Conservation must address both climate suitability and physical habitat availability for wildlife. ## Expert Background Mariëtte van der Walt is Biodiversity Coordinator at Wilderness, University of the Witwatersrand. ## Key takeaway Africa's cave-dwelling bats may lose up to 64% of suitable habitat by 2080 due to climate change without access to caves.