Lourdes Nuñez
- Project name: Ecology and conservation of the sac-winged bat, Balantiopteryx io, in Lanquín, Guatemala.
- Project site: Lanquín Caves
- EDGE species: Thomas’s Sac-winged bat, Balantiopteryx io
- Active: 2021 - ongoing
Biography
Lourdes gained a degree in Biology from San Carlos University with her thesis entitles ‘Phylogenetic diversity of bats in the Mayan Biosphere Reserve’. As well as her current role as a part-time coordinator at the Guatemalan Bat Conservation Program, she volunteers her time at the Botanical Garden and Natural History Museum in Guatemala, and has done since 2014.
Lourdes is looking forward to helping guide and advise her research assistants in the EDGE project, as well as creating multi-lingual educational projects regarding conservation and wildlife.
EDGE Project
Lourdes’s project aims to enhance the biological and ecological information about Balantiopteryx io in Lanquín, Guatemala.
Her objectives are to:
- Determine population size of Balantiopteryx io in the Lanquín Caves;
- Assess demographic parameters of the population of the Lanquín Caves;
- To determine the bat assembly composition of the Lanquín Caves;
- To investigate the habitat use of Balantiopteryx io in the cave’s surroundings;
- Test Audiomoths as a potential detector for bat studies in Guatemala;
- Explore local attitudes toward bats and bat tourism;
- Foster positive attitudes towards bats, through active participation of key actors, workshops, and educational activities.