Grantee Spotlight: Nadia Paola Rodriguez Mendoza
On the Edge Fund, Conservation grantee spotlight
05/05/2025
A tree rat is literally being loved to extinction – one psychologist is ready to save it.
Nadia Rodriguez is a psychologist and conservationist from the Narakajmanta indigenous community in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. As one of the lead researchers and project coordinators for Environmental Women, a small all-female team of conservationists and behaviour change specialists, her expertise will support the conservation of the Red-crested Tree Rat, which is under threat from an unlikely true love ritual, as well as other factors.
Nadia’s work
There are estimated to be fewer than 50 mature pairs of the Red-crested Tree Rat left in the wild. Without them, the environment wouldn’t be the same. This furry rat's behaviour makes it a key player across the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, it’s crucial for seed dispersal, circulating those nutrients back around and supporting forest growth. However, due to threats such as indigenous ritual hunting, habitat fragmentation and the effects of climate change, the small population has been forced to migrate to areas with less food availability.
On the Edge will support Nadia and her team in increasing the population of Red-crested Tree Rats by creating community-led conservation strategies, establishing habitat restoration through a 9,800-hectare Resource Management Zone, and supporting indigenous tribes in their environmental decision-making. This project will ensure the recovery of the rodent and their habitat through the active participation of the indigenous community.
Name:
Nadia Paola Rodringuez Mendoza
Country of origin:
Colombia
Species of choice:
Red-crested Tree Rat AKA. Santa Marta Toro (CR)
Where to from here?
Catch our Animal Sensemaker episode featuring Stingless bees
In the Amazon and tropical places around the world, armies of stingless bees spend their days collecting nectar from plants and flowers across the forest. Listen here.
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Discover more about how you can get involved with protecting nature’s underdogs, here.
