Nature Talks – Flying Foxes at Shellharbour Library

Event Details

The magnificent native forests in the Shellharbour area provide flying foxes with food at critical times of year. In return, the animals provide the forests with unique, long-distance pollination services and connect them with forested areas throughout southeast Australia. Flying foxes have struggled to adapt to rapid environmental change, particularly land clearing and climate change, and do so by altering their behaviours. Some of these new behaviours are challenging because they increase conflict between people and the animals. 

In this presentation we’ll explore the basic biology of flying foxes, their ecology, the contributions they make to functioning forests, the impact of environmental change on their behaviours and on people, and the potential we have to assist flying foxes and other native animals by reducing those impacts. We’ll also look at the contribution that Shellharbour City Council is making to the long-term management of flying foxes in this region.