By Roberto Pedraza Ruiz | Subdirector
ESPAÑOL
Este periodo sin duda fue el más tranquilo y estable del año, dado que las lluvias se mantuvieron de manera abundante, por lo que adiós a la amenaza de los incendios y pudimos limitarnos a la vigilancia de las reservas y mantenimiento de cercados en algunas de ellas. En agosto colocamos en una de las reservas 5 cámaras trampa, siempre con la esperanza de capturar algo extraordinario…, y sucedió, pues a los pocos días obtuvimos el registro de un mamífero magnfíco. Las cámaras estuvieron en campo por 3 meses, lapso en el que ninguna otra persona pasó por los senderos de la reserva y eso es algo único e indicador de éxito. Pues en un mundo tan antropizado, el que un espacio natural que tuvo fuerte presión de la tala ilegal, esté ahora (por nuestra gestión directa y gracias a donantes como GlobalGiving) tan silvestre y libre de depredación es algo muy especial y satisfactorio.
Finalmente regresamos a revisar las cámaras, encontrando a dos de ellas arrancadas de los árboles donde las colocamos, las demás sin problema. La primera reacción fue de enojo, pues anticipamos la agresión a las mismas por parte de personas, pero una vez que revisamos las memorias fue que con enorme alegría constatamos que fue un oso negro el que las arrancó. Esto de nuevo es un importante registro, pues apenas es el quinto que tenemos desde el 2019 y habla de que devolver a la naturaleza sus espacios más íntimos significa que es una estrategia efectiva, para una especie amenazada en México y prácticamente erradicada del centro del país.Los registros que hemos obtenido (todos ellos en la Sierra Gorda en las reservas que protegemos) validan a nuestro quehacer. Ralentizamos a la sexta ola de extinción masiva y sus efectos, protegiendo de manera efectiva a sus últimos espacios silvestres.
ENGLISH
This period was undoubtedly the calmest and most stable of the year, as rainfall remained abundant, meaning we could say goodbye to the threat of fires and limit ourselves to monitoring the reserves and maintaining fences in some of them. In August, we placed five camera traps in one of the reserves, always hoping to capture something extraordinary... and it happened! Within a few days, we obtained footage of a magnificent mammal. The cameras were in the field for three months, during which time no other person passed through the reserve's trails, which is unique and indicative of success. In such an anthropized world, the fact that a natural space that was under heavy pressure from illegal logging is now (thanks to our direct management and donors such as GlobalGiving) so wild and free from predation is something very special and satisfying.
Finally, we returned to check the cameras, finding two of them torn from the trees where we had placed them, while the others were fine. Our first reaction was one of anger, as we anticipated that they had been vandalized by people, but once we checked the memory cards, we were delighted to find that it was a black bear that had torn them down. This is again an important record, as it is only the fifth we have had since 2019 and shows that returning nature to its most intimate spaces is an effective strategy for a species that is threatened in Mexico and practically
erradicated around the country. This period was undoubtedly the calmest and most stable of the year, as rainfall remained abundant, meaning we could say goodbye to the threat of fires and limit ourselves to monitoring the reserves and maintaining fences in some of them. In August, we placed five camera traps in one of the reserves, always hoping to capture something extraordinary... and it happened! Within a few days, we obtained footage of a magnificent mammal. The cameras were in the field for three months, during which time no other person passed through the reserve's trails, which is unique and indicative of success. In such an anthropized world, the fact that a natural space that was under heavy pressure from illegal logging is now (thanks to our direct management and donors such as GlobalGiving) so wild and free from predation is something very special and satisfying.
Finally, we returned to check the cameras, finding two of them torn from the trees where we had placed them, while the others were fine. Our first reaction was one of anger, as we anticipated that they had been vandalized by people, but once we checked the memory cards, we were delighted to find that it was a black bear that had torn them down. This is again an important record, as it is only the fifth we have had since 2019 and shows that returning nature to its most intimate spaces is an effective strategy for a species that is threatened in Mexico and practically erradicated around the country.
The records we have obtained (all of them in the Sierra Gorda in the reserves we protect) validate our work. We are slowing down the sixth wave of mass extinction and its effects by effectively protecting its last remaining wild spaces.
Links:
By Roberto Pedraza Ruiz | Subdirector de la Alianza por la Sierra Gorda
By Roberto Pedraza Ruiz | Head of Wildlife Areas Programme
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