Selva El Ocote is a biosphere reserve in

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 ...

. It includes mid-elevation and highland rain forests and extensive caverns.

Geography

It is located in the state of Chiapas, covering portions of the municipalities of Cintalapa,

Ocozocoautla Ocozocoautla de Espinosa, colloquially Coita, is a town and municipality in the Mexican state of Chiapas. It is located in the western part of the state, 24 km west of Tuxtla Gutierrez covering parts of the Depresión Central (Central Depress ...

Jiquipilas Jiquipilas is a town and one of the 119 Municipalities of Chiapas, in southern Mexico. As of 2010, the municipality had a total population of 37,818, up from 34,937 as of 2005. It covers an area of 1197.3 km². As of 2010, the town of Jiq ...

, and

Tecpatán Tecpatán is a town and one of the 119 Municipalities of Chiapas, in southern Mexico. As of 2010, the municipality had a total population of 41,045, up from 38,383 as of 2005. It covers an area of 770.1 km². As of 2010, the town of Tecpat ...

. The reserve spans the La Venta River and the mountains south of

Malpaso Reservoir The Malpaso Dam, officially known as the Nezahualcóyotl Dam, is located in the Centro region of Chiapas, Mexico near the border with Tabasco and Veracruz. It was the first of several major dams built on the Grijalva River to generate hydroelectri ...

. The mountains extend up to 1500 meters elevation.BirdLife International (2021) Important Bird Areas factsheet: El Ocote. Accessed 5 October 2021

/ref> The geology includes large areas of limestone, including

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

ic caverns and aquifers.

Flora and fauna

The reserve is in the Petén–Veracruz moist forests ecoregion. The dominant plant communities are tropical evergreen and semi-deciduous forests growing on limestone substrates. The reserve is home to 334 species of birds. The reserves's large size makes it an important refuge for the region's birds, including the limited-range Nava's wren (''Hylorchilus navai''). Other native bird species include emerald-chinned hummingbird (''Abeillia abeillei''), sharp-shinned hawk (''Accipiter striatus''), roadside hawk (''Buteo magnirostris''), gray-lined hawk (''Buteo nitidus''),

singing quail The singing quail (''Dactylortyx thoracicus'') is a species of bird in the family Odontophoridae, the New World quail. It is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Taxonomy and systematics The singing quail is the only ...

(''Dactylortyx thoracicus''),

bat falcon The bat falcon (''Falco rufigularis'') is a falcon that is a resident breeder in tropical Mexico, Central and South America, Trinidad. It was long known as ''Falco albigularis''; the names ''Falco fusco-coerulescens'' or ''Falco fuscocaerulesce ...

(''Falco rufigularis''), Montezuma oropendola (''Psarocolius montezuma''), chestnut-headed oropendola (''Psarocolius wagleri'', and plain xenops (''Xenops minutus'').

Conservation

The core area of the reserve was established in 2000 by the Mexican government. It covers an area of 306.49 km², and is managed as a Strict nature reserve (

IUCN protected area category IUCN protected area categories, or IUCN protected area management categories, are categories used to classify protected areas in a system developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The enlisting of such areas is part ...

Ia). In 2006

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

designated Selva El Ocote as an international biosphere reserve, including both the core area and a larger buffer zone totaling 1012.88 km²."Selva El Ocote Biosphere Reserve, Mexico". UNESCO, October 2018. Accesesed 29 September 2021

/ref> Economic activities in the reserve include agriculture and animal husbandry, organic coffee growing, animal husbandry, agriculture, and ecotourism.

References

{{reflist Biosphere reserves of Mexico Protected areas of Chiapas Important Bird Areas of Mexico Petén–Veracruz moist forests