In these areas, the bats have been performing such important functions as saving people from malaria by eating mosquitoes, saving agricultural crops by eating the crop pests, pollinating cheuri trees for higher fruit yield, so vital for Chepangs? income, and on a little bit negative notes, meeting the protein needs of the Chepang through the consumption of bat meat. Bat meat is also known to treat such problematic diseases as uric acid.

Given the advantages of bats, the problem is that the bat population is declining at a brisk rate thus depriving the poor Chepangs and other ethnic groups to take the above advantages from the existence of the bats. Nobody has estimated the number of bats in the proposed project area but it is claimed that their population has decreased by at least three-fourth, the same proportion by which the cheuri fruit yield in the area has declined. The principal problems associated with the reduction in bat population are the loss of habitat and hunting for meat. Globally also, the bat population has been declining fast, but the major problem is reported to be the disease (about 40%), White nose syndrome is the single most ghastly disease responsible for this. Other two causes ? loss of habitat and hunting, are common to Nepal but hunting outside Nepal is done not for meat per se but for the purpose of bat meat?s medicinal value. Bat meat is considered useful in curing rheumatism and asthma in humans and urinary problems in cattle.