Rodrigo A. Medellín is a Mexican ecologist and Senior Professor of Ecology at the Institute of Ecology, University of Mexico (UNAM).[1] Known for his work in bat,[2][3] jaguar,[4][5] bighorn sheep[6] and other species conservation,[7] his research has always been designed and conducted to advice conservation policy and conservation decision-making processes in Mexico and 16 other countries for over 40 years.

Medellín uses community ecology, plant-animal interactions, population biology, and molecular ecology to solve conservation problems. He and his team have designed and implemented a three-pronged strategy where research, environmental education, and conservation actions feed back into each other and contribute to the development of activities in his projects. He is known as a very active professor, directing theses and teaching constantly, and is regarded as a charismatic communicator and lecturer who is sought worldwide.

Rodrigo Medellín
Born
Rodrigo A. Medellín

1957
Mexico City
NationalityMexican
Other namesRodrigo A. Medellín
AwardsWhitley Award (2004), Whitley Gold Award (2012)
Scientific career
FieldsBat conservation, mammal expert, conservation biology
Institutionses:Instituto de Ecología at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, American Museum of Natural History

Education

Medellin received a biology degree from UNAM in 1986 with the thesis La comunidad de murciélagos de Chajul Chiapas[8]. He did his graduate studies at the University of Florida, in Gainesville, Florida. He obtained a PhD with the dissertation Community ecology and conservation of mammals in a Mayan tropical rain forest and abandoned agricultural fields[9].

Work

Medellín's impact on conservation has been significant, being Councilor of the Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), his work has resulted in the recovery of endangered species such as the lesser long-nosed or tequila Bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae), the creation of new protected natural areas, the valuation of ecosystem services by bats, and the creation of conservation programs in cooperation with industry. For example, the Bat Friendly tequila and mezcal program is quickly becoming an industry standard.[10][11][12]

Medellín was Director General of Wildlife of the Mexican Federal Government in 1995–96. Since 1999 he has represented Mexico before the CITES Animals Committee, and was vice-chair of that same Committee for ten years.[13] In 2011 he was elected by the CMS (Convention on Migratory Species) Conference of the Parties as Scientific Councilor.[14] He has been an advisor of the Mexican Federal Government on wildlife issues for over 30 years. Medellín's work in CITES has led to high-level decisions in the context of sustainable use and conservation of sharks, protecting lizards, turtles, tropical fish, many mammals and birds, and promoting international cooperation. For example, between the U.S., Mexico and china in order to join forces and stop the black market and illegal take of totoaba, a fish species whose exploitation accompanies the critically endangered vaquita (Phocoena sinus).[14]

Medellín is a Multidisciplinary Expert Panel (MEP) member of IPBES (UNEP), the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services,[15] His work studying and protecting mammals has spanned many continents, groups, and influenced both subjects through scientific findings applied to policy. Medellín was the first non-U.S., non-European President of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) 2013–2015, and served on the board of directors of the organization for over 15 years.[16] He was president of the Mexican Society of Mammalogists, and is the founder and director of the 25-year-old Program for the Conservation of Bats of Mexico (PCMM), and the founding director of the Latin American Network for Bat Conservation[17] RELCOM, which today includes 23 countries. Medellín is also the creator of Global South Bats, a network of bat scientists in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.[18] Rodrigo is co-chair of the Bat Specialist Group of IUCN since 2004.[19] Medellín co-coordinated Mexico's first National Jaguar Census, or CENJAGUAR. He has been a member of the board of directors of the American Society of Mammalogists for over 15 years.

Since 2016 Medellín has been a member of the Board of Review Editors of Science Magazine,[20] and has been Associate Editor of the Journal of Mammalogy, Conservation Biology, ORYX, and Acta Chiropterologica.

Research and lectures

Medellín has produced over 250 publications, including over 120 papers in peer-reviewed journals. He is also the author of over 60 books and book chapters on bat ecology and conservation, jaguar conservation and recovery, mammal diversity analyses, and the conservation of large mammals. His work has been cited over 12,000 times. His H factor is 50 and over the past 5 years he has produced 54 peer-reviewed indexed papers.

Medellín is most comfortable teaching, or in the field with his students. He has continuously taught courses on conservation biology, tropical ecology, and Mammalogy in his home institution, UNAM, and also at other institutions such as Columbia University, University of Costa Rica, International University of Andalusia in Spain, the Kenya Wildlife Service, amongst many others. He is adjunct professor at Columbia University in New York, Andalusia International University, the University of Arizona, and Research Associate at the American Museum of Natural History,[21] Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Texas Tech University, and others.

Medellín has directed over 50 thesis and dissertations of students from over 10 countries.

Achievements, Awards and Recognitions

Medellín has received various recognitions. In 2004 he received the Whitley Award for International Nature Conservation from HRH Princess Anne of England,[22] the Gerrit S. Miller Award, given to persons "In recognition of outstanding service and contribution to the field of chiropteran biology”, and the 2004 National Nature Conservation Award from Mexico's President Vicente Fox.

In 2007 Medellín received the Aldo Leopold Conservation Award from the American Society of Mammalogists,[23] the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation of the University of Florida, and the 2007 Conservation Scientist of the Year from Wildlife Trust in New York City.

Medellín received the 2008 Rolex Award for Enterprise,[24] being only the third Mexican in over 30 years to receive this award. In 2008 he also received Volkswagen's “For the Love of the Planet” award.

The BBVA Banking Foundation selected Medellín as the recipient of their prestigious Premio Fundación BBVA a la Conservación de la Biodiversidad 2011. In 2012 he received the first-ever Whitley Gold Award from Princess Anne of England again, the first individual ever to receive two Whitley Awards.[25] Also in 2012, he was chosen as one of the 50 individuals who move Mexico forward (Quien50) by Expansion Corporate Group. In 2019 the National Geographic Society made Medellín the seventh Explorer-At-Large,[26][27] the first one not from the U.S. or Europe.

Media presence

Medellín's presence in the media is continuous, with dozens of appearances each year in national and international TV, radio, and press, from BBC, El País, Deutsche Welle, and the Wall Street Journal, to local influential publications.

In 2014 BBC Natural World produced the multi-awarded film “The Bat Man of Mexico”, (narrated by David Attenborough) covering Medellín's work on bats.[28][29] In 2018 National Geographic Society produced the 1-hour documentary titled Giant Carnivorous Bats with Rodrigo Medellín, showcasing his work on these endangered, misunderstood bats.[30]

References

  1. ↑ "Dr. Rodrigo A. Medellín" (in Spanish). National Autonomous University of Mexico. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Megan Garber (29 August 2013). "The Batman of Central Park". The Atlantic. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  3. ↑ Sarah McPherson (12 June 2014). "Rodrigo Medellín: batting for bats". Discover Wildlife. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  4. ↑ Medellín, Rodrigo A.; de la Torre; Zarza; Chávez; Ceballos (2016). El jaguar en el siglo XXI. La perspectiva continental. Mexico City: Fondo de Cultura Económica. ISBN 9786071635358.
  5. ↑ Medellín, Rodrigo A.; Equihua; Chetkiewicz; Crawshaw; Rabinowitz; Redford; Robinson; Sanderson; Taber (2002). El jaguar en el nuevo milenio. Mexico City: Fondo de Cultura Económica. ISBN 9681666178.
  6. ↑ Cassaigne, Ivonne; Medellín, Rodrigo A.; Guasco (2010). "Mortality during epizootics in bighorn sheep: effects of initial population size and cause". Journal of Wildlife Diseases. 46 (3): 763–771. doi:10.7589/0090-3558-46.3.763. PMID 20688682.
  7. ↑ Bárcenas, Horacio; Medellin, Rodrigo A. (2010). "Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) in Aguascalientes, Mexico". The Southwestern Naturalist. 55 (3): 447–449. doi:10.1894/CLG-28.1.
  8. ↑ Medellin, Rodrigo A. (1986). La comunidad de murciélagos de Chajul, Chiapas. Mexico City: UNAM. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  9. ↑ Medellin, Rodrigo A. (1992). Community ecology and conservation of mammals in a Mayan tropical rain forest and abandoned agricultural fields. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida Dissertation. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Can the Bat Man of Mexico also be Tequila's Super Hero?". Science. 2016-09-21. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  11. ↑ "(PDF) Save Our Bats, Save Our Tequila: Industry and Science Join Forces to Help Bats and Agaves". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  12. ↑ Pérez, Santiago (2017-09-05). "Rejoice, Tequila Drinkers! Now You Can Be Socially Responsible". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  13. ↑ "IISD RS @ AC26, PC20 and AC/PC Committees Joint Meeting, 15-20 March 2012, 22-24 March 2012 and 26-30 March 2012, Geneva, Switzerland and Dublin, Ireland". enb.iisd.org. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  14. 1 2 "IISD/ENB @ CITES CoP 18 | 17–28 August | Geneva, Switzerland | IISD Reporting Services". enb.iisd.org. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  15. ↑ "Highlights and images of main proceedings for 25 February 2016". IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  16. ↑ "Towards Greater Diversity in Conservation". conbio.org. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  17. ↑ "Inicio". RELCOM (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  18. ↑ "Global South Bats". Global South Bats. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  19. ↑ "Dr Rodrigo Medellin, Hannah Rothschild, Michael Ashton, Sir Roger Carrick". BBC. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  20. ↑ "Editors and Advisory Boards". Science | AAAS. 2018-01-31. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  21. ↑ "Rodrigo Medellin". American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  22. ↑ "Rodrigo Medellin". Whitley Awards. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  23. ↑ "ASM AWARD RECIPIENTS AND HONOREES". American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Mexico's bat man - Rolex Awards". rolex.org. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  25. ↑ "Rodrigo Medellin at our 25th Anniversary Hope Gala". Whitley Award. 2018-12-05. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  26. ↑ "RODRIGO A. MEDELLIN". National Geographic.
  27. ↑ Society, National Geographic. "Rodrigo Medellín". www.nationalgeographic.org. Archived from the original on June 19, 2020. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  28. ↑ "The Bat Man of Mexico". BBC. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  29. ↑ Sam Wollaston (14 June 2014). "Natural World: The Batman of Mexico – TV review". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  30. ↑ "A Rare Look at Mexico's Carnivorous Bats". Photography. 2018-06-23. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
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