Kristen Lear, PhD
Bat Conservationist & Science Communicator
National Geographic Explorer
AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador
© K. Lear, Bamberger Ranch Preserve, Texas, 2009
Current and Past Projects
My research aims to contribute to the conservation of bat species around the world. I have conducted field work in Texas, Australia, and Mexico. Below are descriptions of my current and past research projects, and links to pages with additional information about each project.
© M. Horchler/Bat Conservation International, Big Bend National Park, Texas, 2021
Agave Restoration Initiative, Bat Conservation International
Agave Restoration Initiative Lead
US Southwest and Mexico, 2020 - Present
Bat Conservation International’s Agave Restoration Initiative works at a landscape scale to protect and restore healthy, functioning ecosystems that support local livelihoods as well as biodiversity. By working with a diverse set of partners from across the Southwest U.S. and Mexico, this initiative builds strong local support in key areas that enables us to identify culturally and environmentally suitable sites and strategies for agave restoration actions. These actions are not only necessary to create resilient nectar corridors for migratory movements of threatened and endangered nectarivorous bats, but also to support local community enterprises through investment in infrastructure (e.g. community greenhouses), business opportunities (‘wildlife-friendly’ products), and sustainable livelihoods (investment and training in best-practice sustainable agricultural and ranching techniques). This bi-national and multidisciplinary approach, involving members across the conservation, civil, government, and business communities, allows us to set ambitious goals that enhance climate resiliency of natural ecosystems, improving local livelihoods and saving bat species from extinction. It is our hope that BCI’s Agave Restoration Initiative serves as a reproducible model for bat conservation, the scale of which is rarely attempted – or achieved – due to the difficulties of planning large-scale multi-year initiatives.
© J. Flores-Maldonado, Rayones, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, 2016
Bats, agaves, and people: An interdisciplinary approach to the conservation of endangered pollinating bats in northeast Mexico
PhD Dissertation (link to dissertation and defense video)
Nuevo León and Coahuila, Mexico, 2014 - 2020
In northeast Mexico, agave plants are harvested from the wild and cultivated for many important cultural uses by local communities. However, harvest of agaves may be contributing to the declines of the endangered Mexican long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris nivalis), which relies on the nectar of agaves for food in the northern portion of its migratory range. Agave restoration and “bat-friendly” agave management could potentially be encouraged within local communities to help conserve the species and support local livelihoods. This interdisciplinary research integrated ecological and social science methodologies to understand where and how these initiatives could be implemented in northeast Mexican communities. In addition, this research assessed the impacts of harvest on agave populations to identify trade-offs and synergies between bat conservation and human livelihoods.
Collaborative research and conservation: Nivalis Conservation Network
Northeast Mexico and the U.S. Southwest, 2016 - Present
In addition to my work on "bat-friendly" agave management in northeast Mexico, I am currently collaborating with other researchers and conservation non-profits from both the U.S. and Mexico on other research and conservation projects for the Mexican long-nosed bat, including PIT tag monitoring to examine the migratory patterns of the bats and identification of pollinators of agave flowers through genetic sequencing.
© F. Walker, Austin, Texas, 2016
© S. Bourne, Naracoorte Caves National Park, Australia, 2012
Population monitoring of the critically endangered Southern bent-wing bat (Miniopterus schreibersii bassanii) in southeast South Australia
U.S. Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship
Naracoorte Caves National Park, Naracoorte, South Australia, 2011 - 2012
The Southern Bent-wing Bat (Miniopterus schreibersii bassanii) is an obligate cave-dwelling bat with a restricted distribution, occurring only in southeast South Australia and southwest Victoria (Australia). It is listed as Critically Endangered due to a severe population decline from an estimated 100,000 - 200,000 individuals in the 1960s to approximately 30,000 individuals in 2009. In addition, this species is dependent on just two maternity caves: Bat Cave in Naracoorte, South Australia and Starlight Cave in Warrnambool, Victoria. The purpose of this study was to accurately determine population numbers and trends at the Bat Cave maternity site as well as obtain estimates of numbers in over-wintering caves to better inform management actions for the species' recovery.
© P. Burtt, San Saba, Texas, 2010
Evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis) preference for bat house design
Senior Honors Thesis
San Saba, Texas, 2010 - 2011
In this project, we attempted to create bat house roosting sites specifically for Evening bats (Nycticeius humeralis) in pecan orchards. This species may be especially beneficial in suppression of pecan pests because they forage within the canopy of pecan orchards, have small foraging ranges, prefer orchards with old pecan trees, and consume pecan nut casebearer (Acrobasis nuxvorella) moths, one of the most devastating nut-feeding insects that occur in pecans. In addition, evening bats are thought to be in decline due to loss of old growth forest habitat. In this project we tested two bat house designs to determine the house type preference of Evening bats. The findings from this project can be used by pecan farmers wishing to attract Evening bats to their orchards to provide potential pest control services.
The effect of bat houses on bat activity in pecan orchards
Senior Honors Thesis
San Saba, Texas, 2009 - 2010
Insectivorous bats can be used as a means of biological pest control. One way of attracting these bats to farms is by installing bat houses. In this projcet, e installed eight pairs of bat houses in three organic pecan orchards in central Texas and used acoustic detectors to monitor total bat activity and feeding activity around the houses before and after installation. Our goal was to determine if bat houses increased activity in the area around the houses, which would lend support to the installation of bat houses in orchards for potential pest control.
© K. Lear, San Saba, Texas, 2010
© P. Burtt, San Saba, Texas, 2010
Ecology, roosting and foraging behavior, and ecosystem services of bats in pecan orchards
Field Research Assistant to Elizabeth Braun de Torrez
San Saba, Texas, 2009 - 2011
Bats are postulated to provide critical pest suppression services, but the effects of agricultural intensification on insectivorous bats are not clear. Few studies have thoroughly investigated the ecosystem services provided by bats due, in part, to limited understanding of species-specific habitat use in agricultural landscapes, difficulties in prey identification, and the challenge of quantifying the impact of bats on pest populations and crops. This project (which was the dissertation research of Elizabeth Braun de Torrez and with which I worked as a field assistant) integrated these components to describe ecological relationships between the insects and bats associated with a pecan agroecosystem in central Texas.