Using bat species in Vietnam as the focal research group, one of the mammalian groups with important ecological roles and widely recognized as bioindicators representing biodiversity. The project aimed to achieve the following objectives:

- To assess the diversity and distribution of bat species in Vietnam.

- To evaluate the impacts of climate change and land cover on the distribution and diversity of bat species in Vietnam.

The project conducted additional field surveys and data collection in several study areas. Data processing and analysis were carried out, and species distribution models were developed under different climate change and land cover/land-use scenarios. The main outcomes include:

- Standardization and development of a GIS database to support species distribution modeling.

- Development of bat diversity maps of Vietnam for the present time and projections for the year 2050.

- Compilation, processing, and analysis of multiple data sources to assess the current status of bat diversity and distribution across different ecological regions in Vietnam.

- Based on analyses from species distribution models, projections were generated to evaluate the impacts of climate change and land cover changes on bat distribution and diversity in Vietnam under different scenarios.

- Identification of biodiversity hotspots for bats and proposal of priority areas for conservation based on spatial analyses..

- Field surveys and investigations provided additional distribution data for bat species and enabled the development of a specialized GIS database for bats.

- For the first time, species distribution modelling for bats was implemented at the national scale in Vietnam under the combined impacts of climate change and land cover change. GIS and remote sensing techniques were integrated with environmental datasets to model the spatial distribution and dynamics of bat species.

- The research results provide not only academic value but also practical applications for biodiversity management, planning, and conservation.

- Scientific papers in referred journals (list): 05 scientific papers

Tuan, L.Q., Thong, V.D., Son, N.T. et al. Potential individual and interactive effects of climate and land-cover changes on bats and implications for conservation planning: a case study in Vietnam. Biodivers Conserv 32, 4481–4508 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-023-02709-5 (SCIE, Q1)

Tuan LQ, Tu VT, Tuan TA, Thong VD, Son NT, Luong NT, et al. Habitat prioritization for bat conservation: A case study in Vietnam. PLoS One 20(9):e0331094 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0331094 (SCIE, Q1)

Hassanin, A., Tu, V.T., Görföl, T., Ngon, L.Q., Pham, P.V., Hang, C.T., Tuan, T.A., Prot, M., Simon‐Lorière, E., Kemenesi, G., Tóth, G.E., Moulin, L., Wurtzer, S. Phylogeography of horseshoe bat sarbecoviruses in Vietnam and neighbouring countries. Implications for the origins of SARS ‐ CoV and SARS ‐ CoV ‐2. Molecular Ecology 2024, 33 (18), pp.e17486. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17486 (SCIE, Q1)

Nojiri T, Werneburg I, Tu VT, Fukui D, Takechi M, Iseki S, Furutera T, Koyabu D. 2023. Timing of organogenesis underscores the evolution of neonatal life histories and powered flight in bats. Proc. R. Soc. B 290: 20221928. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.1928 (SCIE, Q1)

Lê Quang Tuấn, Trần Anh Tuấn, Vương Tân Tú, Lê Minh Hạnh, & Chu Thị Hằng. (2025). Using GIS to study bat distribution in Northeastern Vietnam: Application in designing priority conservation areas. In Proceedings of the Scientific Conference on Biodiversity and Bioactive Compounds for Sustainable Development (pp. 98–108).

- Patents (list): No

- Technological products (describe in details: technical characteristics, place): All outputs are archived at the Institute of Biology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, including:

+ Comprehensive and summary reports on the implementation results of the project.

+ Product 1: GIS database of the project, including baseline spatial layers, bioclimatic data, bat occurrence records, land cover data, potential distribution of bat species for the present time and projected for the year 2050, and priority conservation areas.

+ Product 2: Set of bat diversity maps of Vietnam at a scale of 1:1,000,000.

+ Product 3: Report on the current status of diversity and distribution of bat species in Vietnam.

+ Product 4: Report on projections of the impacts of climate change and land cover on the distribution and diversity of bat species in Vietnam, including recommendations for priority conservation areas.