Puig-Montserrat Xavier

Xavier Puig Montserrat completed his PhD at the University of Girona in 2021. His doctorate was focused on the interactions between bats and agroecosystems, from both a functional pest-prey interaction and a conservation perspective. He began studying bats for the natural protected areas in the region in 2000 and joined the Natural Science Museum of Granollers’ Bat Department in 2004. His main focus during the first years was bat conservation, which lead him to surveying virtually all the protected areas in Catalonia, to finding new species for the region, and to contribute to the publication of the first Catalan Atlas and Red List.

As a member of the board of the Spanish Society for the Study of Bats (SECEMU), he has authored the first national bat monitoring guidelines, coordinated the national cave bats’ survey, and he is currently the supervisor of the Spanish bat atlas. Integration of technology in the bat research has always been a central part of his work, working on the implementation of solutions that allowed the growth of an extensive network of monitoring sites in Catalonia. He is currently advising the local government and nature protection agencies on the best practices to mitigate the impact of wind farms on bat populations.

Dissemination has always been a key part of his work, participating in books, documentaries, TV broadcasts, scientific papers and conferences, aimed both to scientific and general public.