[MUSIC PLAYING] 3 00:00:05,650 --> 00:00:07,300 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] 5 00:00:39,530 --> 00:00:41,006 [MUSIC PLAYING] 7 00:01:28,060 --> 00:01:30,700 ANDIA WINSLOW: Cesaria has come 800 kilometers from her home in the nation's capital to study in one of the wildest places on Earth-- Gorongosa National Park.

Over the past 20 years, this 1,500 square mile wilderness has been largely restored by one of the most effective conservation efforts in history.

Its success stems largely from an approach that focuses not only on wildlife but on the communities that live beside it.

18 00:02:06,150 --> 00:02:09,240 Now, Cesaria is part of an initiative that aims to balance conservation and commerce.

It all hinges on an unlikely product that comes from a surprising source-- bats.

24 00:02:23,850 --> 00:02:43,200 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] PIOTR NASRECKI: Gorongosa has large populations of bats.

It has an extensive network of caves where those bats live.

ANDIA WINSLOW: Piotr Naskrecki is a biologist who is surveying the park's astonishing biodiversity.

30 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:05,280 He's also Cesaria's professor and supports her work studying the park's bats.

She is a phenomenal young scientist.

And she is literally the first African scientist who is studying social communication in bats.

ANDIA WINSLOW: But these bats aren't just of interest to science.

Others are seeking something they produce-- their droppings.

PIOTR NASRECKI: Bat guano is sought after across the world as an organic fertilizer.

ANDIA WINSLOW: Harvesting the guano could provide important income to people who live near the park, but it could also endanger some of the rare species that live in and around Gorongosa.

[MUSIC PLAYING] 48 00:03:53,860 --> 00:03:57,190 Cesaria hopes to find a middle ground where development is led by science, and she aims to do so with a company called Guano Moz.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] 53 00:04:42,170 --> 00:04:45,500 ANDIA WINSLOW: Guano is valuable because it is high in nutrients that enrich the soil.

It also has micro-organisms that help break it down, allowing crops to absorb these nutrients more easily.

58 00:04:57,850 --> 00:05:00,220 Guano Moz is hoping that Gorongosa has the right kind of bats and places where it can be sustainably harvested.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] ANDIA WINSLOW: Together, they've targeted caves in a remote area just outside the park known as Cheringoma.

It's a community conservation area belonging to the greater Gorongosa ecosystem, and it's known for having the largest guano reserves in the country.

Cesaria and her team will survey the caves to determine which may be suitable for harvesting techniques that won't endanger the unique plants and wildlife.

71 00:06:04,580 --> 00:06:59,030 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] ANDIA WINSLOW: The insect-eating bats here congregate in large enough numbers for their guano to be harvested sustainably.

That means the collaboration between Guano Moz and Gorongosa National Park has a real chance to provide job opportunities for the local community.

[MUSIC PLAYING] 81 00:07:36,090 --> 00:07:53,550 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] ANDIA WINSLOW: Today, the unlikely alliance is bringing new hope for sustainable economic growth in this remote region, all while protecting the creatures that live here, including some that live nowhere else on Earth.

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