4. Discussion
In the current reality of famines and discussions about how ecosystems
provide food security, our results of a single-species interaction
securing food for almost 26,200 people annually could not
be timelier. Bat population declines will affect food security of local
people most severely, if the amount of rice protected is consumed
within the country rather than exported. As this is the case for
Thailand, a bat population reduction would translate into reduced
food availability. Moreover, food security is also determined by the
ability to purchase available food, and hence, linked to poverty. We
found that the bat protects rice worth more than US$ 1.2 million
annually.