Biosphere Reserves in Mexico

The Alto Golfo de California and El Pinacate Biosphere Reserve comprises the Pinacate area, Gran Desierto de Altar and Bahía Adair on the Gulf of California’s border in northeastern Mexico. Geological volcanic formations and the diversity of plant associations create its special landscape.

Arrecife Alacranes (Scorpion Reef) is a reef surrounding a small group of islands off the northern coast of Yucatán, Mexico. Designated as a National Park and Biosphere Reserve, it is the largest reef in the southern Gulf of Mexico and the only known coral reef in Yucatán.

The Barranca de Metztitlán Biosphere Reserve is a protected natural area in Hidalgo state, Mexico. It is known for its dramatic scenery of steep cliffs and deep winding canyons and its distinctive flora and fauna.

The Ancient Maya City and Protected Tropical Forests of Calakmul, Campeche is both a World Heritage site and a Biosphere Reserve. The largest forest mass in Mexico and the second largest remnant forest left in Latin America, it is the heartland of the area in which the Maya civilization reached its climax.

The Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve hosts a wide variety of ecosystems that make up one of the most diverse landscapes on the Pacific coast of the Americas. It is important for the conservation of the wide, dry and deciduous tropical forest; considered among the world's most threatened ecosystems.

The Cuatro Ciénegas Biosphere Reserve is an arid zone, with around 500 water bodies of varied shapes and shades of blue, surrounded by mountains where unique species of this region have developed. In these water bodies, there are 33 endemic species and stromatolite.

Cumbres de Monterrey National Park and Biosphere Reserve is located in the northern portion of the Sierra Madre Oriental range in northeastern Mexico, near Monterrey, consisting of rugged terrain with steep mountains, deep canyons, rivers, and waterfalls.

El Cielo Biosphere Reserve is situated in the southern part of Tamaulipas state, within the Sierra de Cucharas, a mountain range derived from the Sierra Madre. It protects the northernmost extension of tropical forest and cloud forest and is one of the most ecologically rich and diverse places in Mexico.

The El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve is the most diverse evergreen cloud forest in Mexico and one of the most important sites for bird migration. Its cloud forest is reported to be one of the most extensive remnants in the country and contains the greatest diversity of tree species in North and Central America.