Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources) [1]
Parte alta de la Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de Manantlan "Capillas".jpg
Sierra de Manantlán
Mexico relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location of Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve in Mexico
Location Colima and Jalisco, Mexico
Coordinates 19°19′12″N103°52′48″W / 19.32000°N 103.88000°W / 19.32000; -103.88000
Area139,577 ha (538.91 sq mi)
Designation Biosphere reserve
Designated1987 (national) 1988 (international)
Administrator National Commission of Natural Protected Areas

The Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve (Spanish : Reserva de la Biósfera Sierra de Manantlán) (established 1988) is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the states of Colima and Jalisco, Mexico. The 139,577 hectares (538.91 sq mi) reserve is located in the transition of the Nearctic and Neotropical realms and encompasses parts of the Sierra Madre del Sur, with a wide range of altitudes, climates and soils. The effects of tectonic and volcanic activities and erosion are notable within the reserve. [2]

Contents

Geography

The reserve is in the Sierra de Manantlán, part of the western Sierra Madre del Sur. The Cerro Grande mountain ridge is located within the biosphere. The reserve is mostly in Jalisco state, with a portion in Colima. The reserve is administered by the municipalities of Autlán, Cuautitlán, Casimiro Castillo, Tolimán and Tuxcacuesco in Jalisco and Minatitlán and Comala in Colima. [2]

Anthropologists know the region as Zona de Occidente, an area notably different from the rest of Mesoamerica. Some ceramic remnants, figurines and graves have been found, but there is little other material evidence. [2]

Flora and fauna

Different types of forests are present in the reserve including mesophytic, cloud, and dry deciduous and semi-deciduous tropical forests.

The Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve is located to the extreme north of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The climate in the region is influenced by various factors in addition to its latitudinal location, such as its proximity to the coast, the effect of its landform – orographic shade – and the breadth of the altitudinal range, which partly explains the high regional biodiversity and the presence of numerous plant formations ranging from tropical forests to those of temperate-cold climates. [2]

A puma in the Niebla forest, Sierra de Manantlan Puma en Bosque de Niebla, Sierra de Manantlan.jpg
A puma in the Niebla forest, Sierra de Manantlan
The forest of Mesofilo de Montana Bosque Mesofilo de Montana.jpg
The forest of Mesófilo de Montaña

The Sierra de Manantlán’s varied and complex plant cover harbours a great wealth of flora. There are over 2900 species of vascular plants belonging to 981 genera (see Plants of the Reserva de la Biosfera Manantlan) for a growing list. Wildlife is one of the important components of the high biodiversity in this reserve. Among the main values of the Sierra de Manantlán, in addition to its great wealth of species and its unique biogeographical characteristics, are the presence of endangered or useful endemic species. So far 110 species of mammals have been reported, which include the Mexican vole (Microtus mexicanus neveriae) and the smoky pocket gopher (Cratogeomys fumosus), in addition to other mammals such as the oncilla, the jaguarandi, the ocelot, the puma, the bobcat, the jaguar and four species of nectarivorous bats. [2]

Three hundred and thirty-six species of birds have been reported, among them 36 which are endemic to Mexico, such as the charismatic species: the crested guan (Penelope purpurascens), the military macaw (Ara militaris), the red-lored amazon (Amazona autumnalis), and the Mexican national symbol, the golden eagle. Eighty-five species of amphibians and reptiles have been recorded; of these it is known that 13 are endemic to the western and central region of Mexico: the rattlesnake, the black iguana, the frog Shyrrhopus modestus, the beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum) and the Autlan rattlesnake (Crotalus lannomi), an endemic species only reported for the area of Puerto de Los Mazos. Of the 16 species of fish identified, 13 are native and four of these are endemic to the region. [2]

Conservation

The area was designated a biosphere reserve by the Mexican government in 1987, with an area of 976.76 km2. [1] The next year it was designated an international UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, including the national reserve and a buffer zone. [2]

As of 2002, more than 40,000 people lived in the Sierra de Manantlán, engaged mainly in agriculture (corn, beans, tomatoes, sugarcane, watermelon, mangoes), livestock grazing, timber production, and extraction of wood for fuel and mining of coal or minerals. Their living conditions are poor and marginal. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra de la Laguna pine–oak forests</span> Ecoregion in Mexico

The Sierra de la Laguna pine–oak forests are a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion, found in the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine–oak forests</span> Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests ecoregion in Mexico

The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine–oak forests is a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt of central Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve</span> UNESCO biosphere reserve in Sonora, Mexico

El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve is a biosphere reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site managed by the federal government of Mexico, specifically by Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources, in collaboration with the state governments of Sonora and the Tohono O'odham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Cielo Biosphere Reserve</span> Natural reserve in Mexico

The El Cielo Biosphere Reserve is located in the Sierra Madre Oriental in the southern part of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas near the town of Gómez Farias. The reserve protects the northernmost extension of tropical forest and cloud forest in Mexico. It has an area of 144,530 hectares made up mostly of steep mountains rising from about 200 metres (660 ft) to a maximum altitude of more than 2,300 metres (7,500 ft).

<i>Quercus iltisii</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus iltisii is a species of oak tree native to western Mexico, where it is found in a small portion of Jalisco and Colima states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve</span>

The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán biosphere reserve is a protected natural area located in southeastern Mexico. Its name derives from its two main locations: Cuicatlán and Tehuacán, in the latter are their administrative offices, covers 490,186 hectares distributed among 21 municipalities in the state of Puebla and Oaxaca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alto Golfo de California Biosphere Reserve</span> UNESCO biosphere reserve in Sonora, Mexico

Alto Golfo de California Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located in the state of Sonora in extreme northwestern Mexico. The 1,652,110 hectares (6,378.8 sq mi) reserve comprises the El Pinacate y Gran Desierto reserve and the Bahia Adair on the Gulf of California border. Geological volcanic formations with craters, dunes, oasis and beaches, and the diversity of plant associations determine its special landscape. The reserve was established in 1993 by the President of Mexico as Reserva de la Biosfera del Alto Golfo de California y Delta del Río Colorado and extended in 1995.

The Mapimí Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located in the state of Durango in northern Mexico. It is one of three biosphere reserves representing the Chihuahuan Desert. The 342,388 hectares (1,321.97 sq mi) reserve is situated between the Neotropical and Nearctic biogeographic realms, in the Bolsón de Mapimí 1,150 metres (3,770 ft) above sea level. It contains three core areas in the Sierra de la Campana, the Laguna de las Palomas, a salt lagoon, and a desert habitat called Dunas de la Soledad. It comprises fragile warm desert and semi-desert ecosystems and rich, highly adapted but vulnerable plant systems, mainly xerophytic matorral scrub, and animal species such as the puma, mule deer, sandhill crane and the kit fox or zorrita del desiert along with scrub and desert grasslands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve</span> UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Yucatán, Mexico

Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the state of Yucatán, Mexico. The reserve is located at the eastern end of the coastal strip of the Yucatán Peninsula, with the Gulf of Mexico at its northern limit. The area encompasses coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico and includes important wetlands designated under the Ramsar Wetlands Convention. The site presents a rich diversity of landscapes and ecosystems, such as mangroves, small estuaries, medium semi-evergreen forest, low deciduous forest, coastal dune vegetation, coastal lagoons, marshes (petenes) and savanna represented by tular vegetation, grasslands and reed beds that are the main nesting sites for marshland and sea birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islas Marías Biosphere Reserve</span>

The Islas MaríasBiosphere Reserve is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located in the Islas Marías in the municipality (municipio) of San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico. The 641,284.73 hectares (2,476.0142 sq mi) reserve includes ecosystems with a great wealth of species of biological, economic, scientific and cultural relevance. Its biological wealth is to be found in the dry forests of its landscape, in the mangroves, the succulent rosette scrubland, the reefs, coasts and pelagic environments it harbors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volcán Tacaná Biosphere Reserve</span>

The Volcán Tacaná Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve at the Tacaná Volcano in Chiapas, Mexico, on the border with Guatemala. The volcano is part of the Central America Volcanic Arc. The 6,378 hectares (24.63 sq mi) reserve contains fragile ecosystems very rich in wild flora and fauna species of cultural, scientific, economic and biological relevance. Its rich biodiversity and high endemism are found particularly in the high mountain ecosystem and landscapes and in the volcanic edifice which presents geophysical features of great scientific and aesthetic value. Average annual rainfall can amount to 2,000–5,000 millimetres (79–197 in), as in the case of Soconusco.

This is a list of plants found in the Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve. The reserve straddles the Mexican states of Colima and Jalisco. It is located in the transition between the Nearctic and Neotropical realms and encompasses parts of the Sierra Madre del Sur, with a wide range of altitudes, climates and soils. The effects of tectonic and volcanic activities and erosion are notable within the reserve.

This page contains lists of reptiles found in the Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve, which straddles the states of Colima and Jalisco in Mexico. The reserve is located in the transition of the Nearctic and Neotropical realms and encompasses parts of the Sierra Madre del Sur, with a wide range of altitudes, climates and soils. The effects of tectonic and volcanic activities and erosion are notable within the reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jalisco dry forests</span> Tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in Mexico

The Jalisco dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in southwestern Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra de San Juan Biosphere Reserve</span>

The Sierra de San Juan Biosphere Reserve is a protected area in Nayarit state of western Mexico. It was established in 2003, and has an area of 198.01 km2. It lies just southwest of the city of Tepic. It protects a portion of the Sierra de San Juan, a mountain range which lies between Tepic and the Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Primavera Biosphere Reserve</span>

La Primavera Biosphere Reserve, also known as La Primavera Flora and Fauna Protection Area, is a protected natural area in western Mexico. It is located in the state of Jalisco, immediately west of the city of Guadalajara.

The Sierra de Huautla is a mountain range and biosphere reserve in central Mexico. Located in southern Morelos, the Sierra de Huautla is a southern extension of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt range into the Balsas Basin. The dry forests of Sierra are home to a diverse community of animals and plants, and the reserve's outstanding biodiversity is recognized by UNESCO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barranca de Metztitlán</span>

Barranca de Metztitlán is a biosphere reserve in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is protected for its dramatic scenery of steep cliffs and deep winding canyons, and its distinctive flora and fauna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cerro Grande (Mexico)</span>

The Cerro Grande is a mountain range in Mexico. Located in the Sierra de Manantlán biosphere. It is located in the states of Colima and Jalisco.

References

  1. 1 2 UNEP-WCMC (2021). Protected Area Profile for Sierra de Manantlán from the World Database of Protected Areas, October 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory: Sierra de Manantlán" . Retrieved 3 September 2018.

Definition of Free Cultural Works logo notext.svg  This article incorporates text from a free content work. ( license statement/permission ). Text taken from UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory , UNESCO, UNESCO.