Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve is a protected natural area in

Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...

state of southern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. The reserve protects 3312 km² of the

Lacandon Jungle The Lacandon Jungle (Spanish: ''Selva Lacandona'') is an area of rainforest which stretches from Chiapas, Mexico, into Guatemala. The heart of this rainforest is located in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas near the border with Guate ...

, a lowland tropical rainforest.

Geography

Montes Azules Biosphere reserve adjoins

Lacan-Tun Biosphere Reserve Lacan-Tun Biosphere Reserve is a protected natural area in southeastern Mexico. It is located in the Lacandon Forest of eastern Chiapas state, where it protects 618.74 km2 of lowland rain forest. Lacan-Tun reserve was established by the Mexican ...

on the east, and is bounded by the Lacantun River, a tributary of the

Usumacinta The Usumacinta River (; named after the howler monkey) is a river in southeastern Mexico and northwestern Guatemala. It is formed by the junction of the Pasión River, which arises in the Sierra de Santa Cruz (in Guatemala) and the Salinas ...

, on the south.

Flora and fauna

The reserve contains 500 species of trees. More than 390 species of birds have been recorded in the reserve, almost half of all known species in Mexico. There are 116 species of mammals present, including the

white-lipped peccary The white-lipped peccary (''Tayassu pecari'') is a species of peccary found in Central America, Central and South America and the only member of the genus ''Tayassu''. Multiple subspecies have been identified. White-lipped peccaries are similar ...

(''Tayassu pecari'') and

northern tamandua The northern tamandua (''Tamandua mexicana'') is a species of tamandua, an anteater in the family Myrmecophagidae. They live in tropical and subtropical forests from southern Mexico, through Central America, and to the edge of the northern Andes ...

(''Tamandua mexicana''). Native reptiles include

Morelet's crocodile Morelet's crocodile ''(Crocodylus moreletii)'', also known as the Mexican crocodile or Belize crocodile, is a modest-sized crocodilian found only in fresh waters of the Atlantic regions of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. It usually grows to about ...

(''Crocodylus moreletii'').

Conservation

Historically the forest was exploited for

chicle Chicle () is a natural gum traditionally used in making chewing gum and other products. It is collected from several species of Mesoamerican trees in the genus ''Manilkara'', including '' M. zapota'', '' M. chicle'', '' M. staminodella'', and '' ...

and

mahogany Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...

. The reserve is currently threatened by timber cutting and people setting fire to the forest to clear areas for cattle raising and farming.

References

{{reflist Biosphere reserves of Mexico Protected areas of Chiapas Petén–Veracruz moist forests Chiapas montane forests