Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources
Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources
“Efraím Hernández Xolocotzi” Botanical Garden
The Efraim Hernández Xolocotzi Botanical Garden (JB-EHX) of the Faculty of Forestry Sciences is located on the UANL Campus-Linares in the municipality of Linares, covers an area of 10 hectares and currently has a collection of more than 153 thousand plants of more than 60 species, mainly cacti and succulent plants, of which 20 species are at risk of extinction (NOM-059- SEMARNAT-2010).
El Jardín Botánico cuenta con más de 153 thousand plants de más de 60 especies principalmente de cactáceas y plantas suculentas, de las cuales 20 especies se encuentran en riesgo de extinción (NOM-059- SEMARNAT-2010)
It is registered as a Wildlife Conservation Management Unit (PVSNL-UMA-IN-1270-NL) and is therefore officially accredited to reproduce and exchange plants with other botanical gardens, as well as receive confiscated and rescued plants.
At the JB-EHX, studies are carried out on the biology and ecology of the region's plant species, addressing issues of phenology, pollinators, predators and nurseries. These investigations are carried out mainly by undergraduate and graduate level thesis students from the Faculty of Forestry Sciences and other Higher Education Institutions in the country. In terms of teaching, the JB-EHX is a support space for courses in Botany, Ecology, Conservation, and those related to the management of natural resources; likewise, the JB-EHX serves to analyze the practical implications of establishing and managing a botanical garden as UMA (Wildlife Conservation Management Units).
Wildlife monitoring
One of the tools used to record the presence of wildlife in the Botanical Garden are camera traps. The use of these tools allows us to know the variety of wildlife and their behavior patterns, as well as the estimation of their populations and habitat quality conditions.
In total, during the operation stage of the project, more than 20 species of the four main fauna groups were recorded, such as: Canis latrans, Dasypus novemcinctus, Lynx rufus, Mephitis mephitis, Odocoileus virginianus, Pecari tajacu, Procyon lotor, Urocyon cinereoargenteus, Cardinalis cardinalis, Cyanocorax yncas, Geococcyx californianus, etc. This is to mention some of the most representative species of the xerophilous scrubland. Some of these species are nocturnal or very stealthy, so the photographic record is at night, when the cameras are left on from one day to the next.
The registration was made 29 species of four representative faunal groups of the xerophilous scrubland
Environmental education
During 2033, the environmental education program continued to be worked on in two ways. The first consisted of providing attention to schools and the general public who visited the botanical garden. To do so, various educational strategies were used, such as photo exhibitions and lectures on nature conservation topics related to environmental anniversaries, given in the main auditorium of the FCF-UANL prior to a guided tour of the garden in which cactus species in the NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 are shown and the main causes that have them at risk of extinction are explained, as well as the environmental services they provide us. And the second consisted of going to rural and urban schools in the municipalities of Linares and Galeana, N.L., where the following workshops were given to more than 1,500 students from preschool, primary, secondary, high school and undergraduate levels:
Germination: with the aim of showing techniques that allow students to reforest urban or rural areas for the purposes of ecosystem recovery, or to produce their own plants and/or food.
Waste management: The objective was to classify the most common waste that we generate daily, so that the children could later dispose of it properly according to its type.
Identification of wildlife tracks: with the aim of showing how tracking footprints is one of the main tools for recognising wildlife species without causing any harm to them.
In 2023 more than 1,500 students from different levels of education participated in the JB-EHX environmental education program
Calls for competition
Calls were made to commemorate the environmental anniversaries of World Wildlife Day and World Earth Day. The objective of these contests was to raise awareness among children about the importance of wildlife conservation, as well as to inspire them to protect and restore our planet.
Installation of solar panels
Solar panels were installed and donated to the botanical garden by the Sempra Infrastructure Foundation through the UANL A.C. Foundation. These panels are being used to supply electricity to the Visitor Center facilities in support of the environmental education program, allowing visitors to have a more comfortable stay.
Plant reproduction
As part of the botanical garden's strategy to achieve long-term sustainability, two spaces for plant reproduction were implemented; the first within the FCF-UANL facilities, which is called the Seed Germination Laboratory, while the second space is a 150 m² greenhouse, which was equipped with a sprinkler irrigation system and germination racks and support for development trays; in this space, the germination of species with the largest number of seeds in the botanical garden's germplasm bank was carried out. To date, more than 10,000 plants of 10 species of cacti have been reproduced. The Efraim Hernández Xolocotzi Botanical Garden is a space of great social relevance as a source of knowledge that contributes to the rational use of biodiversity and to forming citizens committed to caring for nature.
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