The Trifinio Fraternidad Transboundary Biosphere Reserve is a

transboundary protected area A transboundary protected area (TBPA) is an ecological protected area that spans boundaries of more than one country or sub-national entity. Such areas are also known as transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs) or peace parks. TBPAs exist in many ...

located where the borders of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras meet (thus the prefix ''tri'' in its name). It protects the Montecristo massif and its cloud forests across the three countries' borders.

Geography

The reserve covers an area of 1195.14 km², including 590.56 km² in El Salvador, 221.79 km² in Guatemala,UNEP-WCMC (2021). Protected Area Profile for Trifinio from the World Database of Protected Areas. Accessed 9 September 2021

/ref> and 382.79 km² in Honduras. The biosphere reserve was designated by UNESCO and the three countries in 2011. It incorporated some established protected areas, including

Trifinio Biosphere Reserve The Trifinio Biosphere Reserve is a protected area in Guatemala, located where the borders of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras meet (thus the prefix ''tri'' in its name). The reserve was created in 1987, and has an area of 221.79 km2. It protec ...

in Guatemala (221.79 km²), which was established in 1987, Montecristo Trifinio National Park in Honduras (82.15 km²), was established in 1987, and Montecristo National Park in El Salvador (19.73 km²), which was established in 2008. The reserve protects Montecristo massif, a highland area isolated from other mountains. The highest peak is Cerro Montecristo (2,418 m). The massif is in the upper basin of the

Lempa River The Lempa River ( es, Río Lempa) is a river in Central America. Geography Its sources are located in between the Sierra Madre and the Sierra del Merendón in southern Guatemala, near the town of Olopa. In Guatemala the river is called ''Río O ...

, which drains into the Pacific Ocean.Komar, Oliver. (2010). Research Stewardship Strategy for Montecristo National Park, El Salvador. omar, O. 2010. USAID Technical Report. 43 pp. 10.13140/RG.2.1.2501.5446.

Flora and fauna

The biosphere reserve was created to protect the Montecristo

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

and its rare flora and fauna. A survey of the tri-national area found 3000 species of plants, 280 bird species, 98 mammal species, and 50 species of amphibians and reptiles. The main plant communities are pine–oak forest, which grows between 800 and 2000 meters elevation, and

, which grows above 2000 meters elevation.

Dry forests The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive ...

surround the massif at lower elevations. The pine–oak belt includes pine–oak and pine–oak–sweetgum forests. The dense cloud forest of oak and laurel trees, which grow up to 30 meters high, houses rare wildlife species like the

two-fingered anteater The silky anteater, also known as the pygmy anteater, has traditionally been considered a single species of anteater, ''Cyclopes didactylus'', in the genus ''Cyclopes'', the only living genus in the family Cyclopedidae. Found in southern Mexico, ...

striped owl The striped owl (''Asio clamator'') is a medium-sized owl with large ear tufts and a brownish-white facial disk rimmed with black. Its beak is black, and it has cinnamon-colored eyes. It has shorter, rounder wings than most of its close relative ...

toucan Toucans (, ) are members of the Neotropical near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five ge ...

agouti The agouti (, ) or common agouti is any of several rodent species of the genus ''Dasyprocta''. They are native to Middle America, northern and central South America, and the southern Lesser Antilles. Some species have also been introduced else ...

s, pumas, and

spider monkey Spider monkeys are New World monkeys belonging to the genus ''Ateles'', part of the subfamily Atelinae, family Atelidae. Like other atelines, they are found in tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil. The g ...

Conservation

Protection of the Montecristo massif was a joint initiative of these three countries, which resulted in the creation of the Montecristo Trifinio National Park in Honduras and the Montecristo National Park in El Salvador, as well as the Guatemalan Trifinio biosphere reserve. The protection of the Montecristo massif was part of a broader plan, known as the Trifinio plan, to develop this border region.

References

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External link

Trifinio Fraternidad Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (El Salvador/Guatemala/Honduras) – UNESCO
Biosphere reserves of Guatemala Transboundary protected areas Biosphere reserves of Honduras Biosphere reserves of El Salvador