Acerodon celebensis mainly roosts in mangroves, and also in bamboo and trees in villages . It is commonly found both inland (up to 1,500 m asl) and along the coast and shows a medium tolerance of human disturbance. Currently, large colonies of A. celebensis are only known from mangrove forests where they roost with Pteropus alecto on lower branches (S.M. Tsang pers. obs.).

Neither of two adult females examined by Flannery in November 1991 were pregnant or lactating, but suggested seasonal breeding, with births occurring in February to March. In South Sulawesi females were observed with pups in August, September, and October (S. Heinrichs pers. comm. 2012).

The species is found to migrate seasonally following local weather conditions and food availability. It is known to feed on Palaquium sp. and Ficus sp., fruits and nectar of Duabanga moluccana and Durio sp., and disperse their seeds (Sheherazade 2018, Sheherazade et al. 2019). They help to ensure the regeneration of forests in Sulawesi and act as significant pollinators of durian, an economically important crop in Sulawesi (Sheherazade et al. 2019). In fruit orchards in West Sulawesi, they also feed on rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) and langsat (Lansium domesticum) fruits. During the dry season, A. celebensis relies heavily on Ficus but then uses more varied resources during the wet season, including but not limited to Neonauclea excelsa, Cocos nucifera, and Garcinia sp. Individuals are commonly seen feeding on breadfruit trees and coconut (Flannery 1995).

The species is listed on CITES Appendix II. Although the species is known to occasionally forage in protected areas, there are no large colonies located within protected areas nor are they granted formal protection. In some areas (such as Watansoppeng in South Sulawesi) they are protected, because local people believe this bat brings good fortune. They believe when the flying foxes are gone, a disaster will happen to the city. Consequently, Watansoppeng established a local regulation to protect their flying fox colonies that roost in the city center. Further, in fruit orchards in West Sulawesi, flying foxes were killed by the community because they fed on rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) and langsat (Lansium domesticum) fruits. After learning about the role of flying foxes in pollinating durian, which was a major cash crop at the fruit orchards, the local community decided to switch to non-lethal methods to deter the bats, such as using a bell or hanging the internal organs of rotten fish on the fruit trees (Sheherazade 2018).

The conservation NGO Alliance for Tompotika Conservation (AlTo) has protected a flying fox colony since 2014 through a conservation lease with the local community on Tangkuladi Island, Banggai, Central Sulawesi and are informally monitoring the population. It has their education programs to educate the community about bats. Close to Tangkuladi Island, a conservation NGO, PROGRES (Sulawesi Regional Ecological Conservation Initiative, established their flying fox conservation program in 2018. Combining science and community-based approaches, PROGRES has empowered the local community to protect flying fox colonies from hunting and set up the first scientific, long-term monitoring program of flying fox populations. They created books and posters about flying foxes, conducted outreach programs in Central Sulawesi for children at schools and in the villages, and arranged movie screenings about bats attended by fishermen and women from the villages. In North Sulawesi, Selamatkan Yaki has started to include bats in their trade mitigation programs and WCS Indonesia has supported the North Sulawesi Nature Conservation Agency (BKSDA Sulawesi Utara), a government entity, to address the bushmeat trade.

More studies on the species populations trends are needed, including on population size and distribution throughout its range. Also, needed are studies of the species’ habitat requirements to better understand the effects of forest conversion and land use change. Finally, studies are needed to determine the amount of hunting of this species and the impact of the bushmeat trade on population persistence. Like most threatened flying foxes, local capacity building for conservation managers and education and awareness within local communities are sorely needed to support conservation efforts.