Mexico's Megadiversity

Mexico is one of the most biologically and culturally diverse countries in the world. Biologically, it is one of the 5 “Megadiverse” countries in the world, with 12% of the planet´s biodiversity. Mexico is in 1st place for reptile richness, 2nd for mammals, and 4th for amphibians and plants. It occupies the 8th place for avian diversity with 1,060 species, 16% being endemic. Culturally, Mexico has 65 ethnic groups and 32 cultural sites considered World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. These two categories, culture and nature, have gone hand-in-hand throughout history: nature being fundamental in Mexican cultural development, and vice versa.

In this talk, we will travel through time for an overview of how Mexican culture has changed throughout the years in its relationship with nature. We will explore the impact of modern society on biodiversity, as well as some conservation efforts to save the natural beauty of Mexico. Your hosts will for the evening will be Jessica Thompson Ambriz and Fernando Mayani Paras, both from Mexico and currently working as interns in Bandelier's bird banding program.

Fernando Mayani is a Biologist from the Faculty of Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), in Mexico City. As an undergrad, Fernando focused his studies on Animal Behavior, working on egg camouflage in the blue-footed booby at Isla Isabel, Nayarit, Mexico. He has also done volunteer work in conservation programs, in the Yucatan with marine turtles; and in Chiapas, monitoring different species such as the quetzal and the horned guan, and in a water quality study of the Montebello lakes. Fernando plans in the future to pursue Conservation Behavior, which applies the study of Animal Behavior to conservation programs. His hobbies are playing soccer, volleyball, scuba diving and playing drums.

Jessica Thompson is a Mexican Biologist from the National Autonomous University of Guadalajara. Since finishing her undergraduate studies, Jessica has been working as a volunteer on projects that involve the study of bird territories, life history and conservation. She has participated in an owl monitoring program at Central Oaxaca, bird surveys near Puerto Vallarta, and in a migratory warbler study in Chamela, Jalisco. She has also spent several months working on the Manu Bird Project in Peru. Jessica plans to keep learning about birds’ natural history and ecology, and to participate in conservation programs. In her spare time, Jessica enjoys reading, spending time in the outdoors, and birding.

No advance registration is required for this program.