Sierra Gorda: Biological Jewel
|
The one-million acre (383,567-hectare) Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve (SGBR) is the most eco-diverse, and second-most biodiverse, protected natural area in Mexico. Four climatic zones (temperate, arid, humid tropical, and dry tropical) converge here, making this a world-class biological jewel that spans 14 ecosystems, from semi-desert to moutainous cloud forest. The rugged topography ranges
from 980 feet (300 meters) above sea-level at the depth of the Santa María River Canyon to 10,170 feet (3,100 meters) at Pingüica Mountain.
|
The Santa María River (above) carves a canyon through a rugged mountain zone that traverses the Eastern Sierra Madre, produced by the tectonic upheavals of limestone bedrock during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. This is a region of steep mountain ridges, canyons, sierras, ravines, and deep sinkholes, as well as caverns and underground rivers galleries – some of them outstanding enough to be recognized globally. The Sótano del Barro is the second deepest sinkhole in the world, with a vertical drop of 1,345 feet (410 meters). The forest on its sheer walls are a nesting site for the last remaining population of military macaws, an endangered species.
|
|
The Sierra Gorda is one of the most dramatic transitional regions of North America. It is strategically located at the intersection of the far northern reach of the Central American tropics in the humid Eastern Sierra Madre – which harbors the northern-most remnant of evergreen tropical forest – and the southern edge of the arid Chihuahuan desert.
The Sierra Biosphere Gorda Reserve is ranked number one in Mexico for the active participation and heightened consciousness of its residents in both conservation of natural resources and community development activities. Because it is so remote, 80 percent of the land has been conserved in its natural state. With the active participation of its inhabitants, much of the remaining land can be restored to a healthy ecological condition.
More than 1,500 square miles in size, the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve covers the northern third of Querétaro State, including five counties, in the Eastern Sierra Madre
mountains of central Mexico. The region has a rich cultural heritage represented by more than 400 archaeological ruins, most of which have not been studied.
The Sierra Gorda is the last large-scale refuge for many unique, threatened, and endangered species, and provides a home for all six of Mexico's species of wild cats, of which the jaguar is king. It serves as an important biological corridor, or "safe haven" for animals in central Mexico. Species in danger of extinction that have found a haven here include the jaguar (Panthera onca), Humboldt butterfly (Eucheira socialis), black bear (Ursus americanus), military macaw (Ara militaris), crested guan (a lowland-forest bird that somewhat resembles a turkey), and bearded-wood partridge (Dendrortyx barbatus). The Sierra Gorda also protects threatened species such as the margay (Felis wiedii, a small spotted cat resembling the ocelot), jagurundis (a slender long-tailed short-legged wildcat), river otter (Lutra longicaudis), spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi), porcupine (Coendu mexicanus), white tailed deer, ocelot, emerald toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus), great curassow (a large arboreal game bird), gopher (Pappogeomys neglectus), butterfly (Autochton siermadrior), and a great number of fish and cave-dwelling arthropods.
Altogether, researchers have cataloged a total of
363 bird species, more than 700 butterfly species (a remarkable 30 percent of all butterfly species in Mexico!), 131 mammal species, 71 reptiles including two different kinds of crocodiles, 23 amphibians, and 1,724 vascular plant species. They have discovered a wide diversity of previously unknown species, subspecies and strains of plants and animals. Because the area is still relatively unexplored, countless species remain to be discovered.
Right: painted mural in the Sierra Gorda celebrates local plant and animal life
The Sierra Gorda is a natural habitat for pines, junipers, oaks, maples, walnuts, cycads, and rare mushrooms. Twenty-five of the Sierra Gorda's plant species have been designated for protection, and 11 species are unique to the area. Endangered or threatened plants include the giant biznaga, (Echinocactus grandis), chapote (Diospyros riojae), aguacatillo (Litsea glaucescens), magnolia (Magnolia dealbata), guayamé fir (Abies guatemalensis), Espada (Dioon edule), yew (Taxus globosa), red cedar (Cedrella dugesii), palo escrito (Dalbergia paloescrito), white cedar (Cupressus lusitanica), cycads, tropical laurels and bromeliads.
