Ecological Service Offered by Tadarida brasiliensis Bats as Natural Plague Controllers in Northern Mexico and Their Economic Valuation

The objective research is to know the environmental service the bat subspecies, Mexican Tadarida brasiliensis, offer as a natural plague controller in the state of Nuevo León and to approximate the economic value of this service. It begins by studying the eating habits of the population living in the cave Cueva de la Boca, located in Santiago, Nuevo León. The insects identified on their diet represent potential agricultural plagues in the region. According to primary and secondary information on the economic importance of sorghum, corn, citrus and walnut crops on the influence area and to the implementing intensity of the chemical compounds used to control plagues, it is estimated that the economic value of this environmental service lies between $0.65 and $1.65 million dollars, with an expected value between $11.0 and $26.0 dollars per hectare per year in these crops. The results of this study constitute a valuable conservation tool to support the protection of ecosystems around bat roosting sites that serve both as biological control of diseases and pests, as well as to provide other integral environmental services.