MLR Forestal will participate for the first time in the Christmas Bat Count

For the first time, MLR Forestal will participate in the Christmas Bat Count organized by the Program for the Conservation of Bats of Nicaragua (PCMN). This activity is carried out with the aim of generating more information about these animals, demystifying them and raising awareness about the importance of their conservation.

To date, 19 species of bats have been registered in MLR Forestal, however, with the sampling that will be done during December, this figure is expected to increase. The Christmas Bat Count will take place from December 11 to 13 at the Danlí, Mutiwás and Labú farms; the data obtained will be shared with the Latin American Network for the Conservation of Bats. The activity takes place from Mexico to Brazil, and in Nicaragua this is its twelfth edition.

Prior to the count, the four members of the PCMN who will move to MLR Forestal for the excercise, will provide training to the areas of Social Management, Certifications and some teachers from the schools near the company. This training will be oriented towards children’s environmental education regarding bats and in the following school year it will be replicated in schools.

During the Christmas bat count, state-of-the-art technology will be used

The Christmas Bat Count will use state-of-the-art technology. This will be reflected in a very sensitive acoustic recorder that will store the vocalizations of the individuals to identify the species.

MLR Forestal has intensified its work with bats as of 2023. These mammals are very important as biological controllers, some feed on insects or rodents that can be pests for crops. Others feed on nectar and pollinate plants, such as those that feed on dragon fruit plants. Others feed on fruits and disperse their seeds. All of this makes them vital to ecosystems and agriculture.