Paper short abstract:

The social-ecological landscapes of the Mexico-U.S. borderlands expose past and present entanglements among bats, agaves and humans. This multi-species ethnography focuses on the relationship between a regional mescal and bat-agave conservation efforts in Sonora, Mexico and Arizona, USA.

Paper long abstract:

The social-ecological landscapes of the Mexico-U.S. borderlands expose past and present entanglements among bats, agaves and humans. This multi-species ethnography focuses on conservation efforts of bats and agaves in northern Sonora, Mexico and southern Arizona, USA. Engaging bats and agaves as direct ethnographic subjects illustrates the complexities of conservation in these shared environments. This more-than-human framework problematizes dominant discourses related to conservation through an investigation of binational efforts to conserve a threatened agave species (Agave angustifolia haw) and the Mexican long-nosed bat (Leptonycterus yerbabuena), a nectar-feeding bat that relies on flowering agaves during their migration from southern Mexico to southern Arizona. Of specific concern is the over-harvesting of this particular agave, which is the plant used to make mescal bacanora, a regional beverage with deep cultural ties to the area. As the industry grows, bacanora producers are harvesting increasing numbers of wild agave, threatening a primary food source for the pollinator bats in an epoch when bat populations continue to decline. This investigation centers on how a multitude of organisms’ livelihoods shape and are shaped by political, economic and cultural forces. Such an approach provides a qualitative lens to understand the contemporary and historic ways stakeholders on both sides of the international border relate to bats, agaves and conservation. Documenting these human and non-human encounters reveals uneven access to the land and natural resources, helping to contribute to conservation efforts that incorporate local ecological knowledge and promote greater inclusivity among diverse stakeholders.