The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve comprises several different vegetation types, dominated by tropical forests and with a wide range of elevation between 200 and 3160 meters above sea level as well as precipitation between 300 and 2000mm/year. Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve is a Member of UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere program (MaB) and is one of the most ecologically rich and diverse places in Mexico. The most important conservation problem is that the area is the second most populated natural protected area in Mexico, with severe problems with poverty. This creates a need to balance conservation efforts with local subsistence needs.
The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve is a mountainous landscape in the State of Querétaro, Mexico. Located between America’s neo-artic and neo-tropical bioregion, the area is rugged and highly diverse. Mountains range from 3100m to 300m above sea level, while rainfall varies from 300ml to 2500ml/year. The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve is a Member of UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere program (MaB) and is one of the most ecologically rich and diverse places in Mexico. Among mountain cloud forests and temperate forests flourish 34 species of oak, Douglas firs stand tall on the highest peaks and semi-desert species like guanacaste and ceiba grow in the semi-arid areas. Recently two new species of magnolia were discovered within the Biosphere.
The animals that live within the landscape are just as impressive. Jaguars and pumas traverse the mountain range. Black bears live in the forests. Deep valleys and rivers offer habitat for an axolotl species. And flying squirrels and mountain trogons nest in tree cavities. To date, 2,308 plant species, 343 birds, 111 mammals, 134 reptiles and amphibians, and a third of all the butterflies found in Mexico, approximately 800 species, have been documented in the landscape.