Bats contribute significantly to human food systems by pollinating crops like avocados and agave and controlling pests.
The increasing demand for agave-based spirits like mezcal in the US is threatening the survival of agave plants and their bat pollinators.
Conservation efforts, such as planting agave along bats' migratory paths and educating farmers about the benefits of bats, are crucial for their survival.
Key quote:
“It’s a big problem for agaves endemic to Mexico, and for the bats and all the biodiversity around the ecosystems where the agaves grow.”
— Diana Pinzón, forestry engineer who works with small-scale mezcal producers
Why this matters:
Bats, often misunderstood creatures of the night, play an indispensable role in ecosystems around the world as well as in agriculture. These nocturnal mammals serve as pollinators, pest controllers and seed dispersers, making them critical to the health of many environments.
Not only do bats pollinate our crops, prey on pests like mosquitos, and spread seeds that help damaged ecosystems recover, but they also possess a superpower that’s unique among mammals: flight.
More than half of North America’s bat species are likely to diminish significantly as climate change, disease and habitat loss take their toll, scientists warned Monday.
Global heating is leading dozens of bat species to migrate to southern China and southeast Asian countries, amid growing concerns that the climate crisis could fuel more zoonotic disease and further deadly pandemics.
