Youth and women biodiversity monitors in Campeche's livestock landscapes conduct their first tour

• The objective is to promote citizen science in biodiversity monitoring in the state of Mexico

June 2, 2021. With the participation of 13 members of the Network of young people and women biodiversity monitors in livestock landscapes in the state of Campeche, Mexico, the network's first BioBlitz was held, a citizen science event to monitor biodiversity in a specific place and at a specific time, which also allows for an exchange of experiences on the subject by a group of people interested in exploring and monitoring the flora and fauna of a site.

On this occasion, the BioBlitz was held at the ranch at km 7 of the Felipe Carrillo Puerto-Yohaltún highway, in the municipality of Champotón, on May 22, within the framework of the Biodiversity and Sustainable Agro-silvopastroal-Livestock Landscapes project, known as BioPaSOS, implemented by CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) and the activities developed by the Sustainable Livestock Agro-ecosystems Working Group of Campeche (AGS-CAM).

During the monitoring, 52 observations of flora and fauna were made and more than 160 photographs were taken, which are already being uploaded to the network project, within the Naturalista platform, developed by the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO, its Spanish acronym).

Along with the network participants, students from the Instituto Tecnológico de Chiná (ITC) and the community of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Champotón, were involved in the tour. Sol de Mayo Mejenes, ITC professor; Marco Ciau, from the National Forestry Commission and member of the AGS-CAM; and Erika Hernández, BioPaSOS project technician in Campeche, provided support and accompaniment to all the tour participants.

The BioBliztse was complemented with a talk to discuss the importance of biodiversity monitoring and the creation of the network of young and women monitors. There was also a short training on the use of guides to identify flora and birds.

According to Edwin Pérez, local coordinator of the BioPaSOS project in Campeche, the tour encouraged young people and women to monitor biodiversity on the ranches and strengthen their practical skills in the use of the Naturalista platform. 'With this event the young people and women now have the elements to continue monitoring in these cattle ranching landscapes and thus contribute to generating knowledge about the existing biological wealth,' added Pérez.

Project BioPaSOS is implemented with the support of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), in coordination with CONABIO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRICULTURA), with funding from the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and in alliance with multiple local partners in their territories of intervention.

More information/written by:

Edwin Pérez Sánchez
Local Coordinator, Campeche
Biodiversity and Sustainable Agro-silvopastoral Landscapes (BioPaSOS)
CATIE
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