For many, Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula brings to mind the pristine beaches of the Caribbean or ancient Mayan cities draped in jungle vines. But the Yucatán, specifically the southern region, presents diverse and vibrant social and ecological landscapes shaped by a rich cultural heritage, current agricultural practices, and multiple conservation and development interventions. Recently, Professors Laura Schneider (SAS-Geography) and Ben Lintner (SEBS-Environmental Sciences), along with Geography ABD-PhD student Leonardo Calzada (who will join New Mexico State University as Tenure track faculty in Fall 2026), visited the southern Yucatán to develop research at the intersection of tropical forest, agricultural land use and climate variability in the region. Building on Professor Schneider’s more than two decades of field experience studying the effects of disturbance on Yucatán forest resilience and Professor Lintner’s background in processes affecting tropical climate variability, the team obtained a Rutgers Global Seed Grant for International Collaborative Research to support efforts to address how heterogenous mosaics of agricultural land use and vegetation interact with climate across space and time. During the visit, the team installed two meteorological stations to obtain high-frequency measurements of quantities such as air temperature and rainfall, which will help to inform understanding of the local environmental conditions relevant to the forested and agricultural sites where Schneider, Calzada, and colleagues periodically sample forest biomass and composition. The team also worked closely for two days with students and teacher at the Colegio de Bachilleres Técnico Forestal de Zoh Laguna 007 (Zoh Laguna Technical Forestry High School). During this time, the team trained approximately 20 students in biomass inventories and climate data collection. The team expects this collaboration to continue, with potential future efforts including a targeted workshop on tropical forests and climate at the school.
Professors Laura Schneider (center) and Ben Lintner (right) with Rigoberto Mukul Díaz (left), forest technician and project coordinator
for Proyectos Forestales Petcacab, at the site of the weather station installation in Petcacab, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Professor Laura Schneider (second row, center) and PhD student Leonard Calzada (back row, second from right) with students from
Colegio de Bachilleres Técnico Forestal de Zoh Laguna 007, located in Zoh Laguna, Campeche, Mexico.