In Namibia’s stark Namib Desert, where I spent 18 months doing research for my Ph.D., wildlife concentrates around natural springs.
Increasingly, animals there also rely on man-made ponds intended for livestock.
People have used plants and animals as environmental indicators for many years.
Similarly, fish and other small aquatic organisms can be effective bioindicators of water pollution.
Therefore, scientists often resort to biological indicators, such as aquatic insects and fish, to assess water quality.
Even the most desert-adapted species need water.
To find high-quality surface waters, people could observe bat activity levels using acoustic detectors to record bats’ echolocation calls.
During my time in Namibia, I observed that activity by all local bat species dwindled at springs with high salt concentrations.
If this is true, people living in those areas could detect changes in water quality, such as increased salinity, by gauging activities and drinking patterns of sensitive bat species.
This article was originally published on The Conversation.