Our Work · Science
Agave and bat research, ecological monitoring, and the knowledge of producers and communities — applied to the right plants, in the right places, at the right times.
Multiple Ways of Knowing
Our approach is grounded in multiple ways of knowing, integrating western science, local and traditional ecological knowledge, lived experience, and adaptive management to guide restoration and improve outcomes over time. Key scientific organizations, academics, and researchers work alongside Bat Conservation International and community partners to monitor bat use, plant survival, and habitat outcomes across the network, and to co-develop practices and research with the communities and land stewards who know these landscapes best.
Project 8 · Science & Storytelling
Agave Nation seeks to advance critical, applied knowledge about bats, agaves, and the climate adaptation needs of this landscape – by funding postdoctoral researchers and academic partners to resolve open questions for restoration planning, monitor ecological outcomes, and build a new generation of scientific capacity in the region.
What Funding Will Support
$10–15K
Funding a new postdoctoral position for one year.
$60K
Funding multiple critical science projects for two years.
$250K
A full scientific program: 10–15 research priorities, 5 new scientists.
Our Theory of Change
Inputs
Revenue supporting backbone and early-stage partner support; philanthropic gifts and impact capital; BCI, BRN, university, Tribal, non-profit, and community expertise.
Activities
Coordinate partners and maintain shared standards; restore agaves and native plant communities; build seed and nursery infrastructure; monitor bat use, plant survival, and habitat outcomes; tell credible, place-based stories of real impact.
Outcomes
Better habitat connectivity for nectar-feeding bats; stronger local restoration economies; community enterprises with long-term sustainability; a replicable conservation finance model for a regenerative agave economy.