Interdisciplinary Team for Bat Conservation in Mexico

Mon, 02 Dec 2013 19:00:00 -0500

Gomez’ research advances the knowledge about Mexican long-nosed bats (Leptonycteris nivalis, Phyllostomidae), a species globally considered endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN Red List). Her approach of team building by engaging people from different disciplines to inform conservation management scientific principles and disseminating the knowledge to communities will serve as an example to other conservation projects around the world. Her work bridges the borders of the United States and Mexico fostering cooperation and the scientific literacy for the citizens of two nations. The novelty of Gomez’s project has been featured locally in The Battalion, a Texas A&M University paper, nationally in The Wildlife Society Bulletin, and internationally by The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund. Gomez’s project focuses on the northern region of the bats’ range, which includes the states of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon in Mexico and Texas in the United States. She is identifying critical foraging and roosting sites to prioritize conservation actions that will help the recovery of Mexican long-nosed bat population and the maintenance of the pollination services it provides to key plants in arid ecosystems. The team is using computer modeling techniques and field assessments to evaluate the availability of foraging and roosting sites, and identify the condition and threats to these sites. The project engages members of local communities to support bat conservation rules and regulations through innovative education techniques.