Sian Kaʼan Biosphere Reserve () is a

biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

Tulum Municipality Tulum Municipality (, ) is one of the eleven municipalities that make up the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It became a municipality when it was formed on 13 March 2008, at which time it was separated from Solidaridad Municipality. Tulum is ho ...

in the

Mexican state A Mexican State (), officially the Free and Sovereign State (), is a constituent federative entity of Mexico according to the Constitution of Mexico. Currently there are 31 states, each with its own constitution, government, state governor, a ...

Quintana Roo Quintana Roo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 administrative divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into municipalities of ...

. It was established in 1986 and became a UNESCO

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

in 1987. The term Sian Kaʼan, from the Yuatec Mayan language, "means 'gate of heaven' or 'a place where heaven begins. With the participation of scientists, technicians, students, fishers, farmers, rural promoters, and administrators, together with regional and international partners, have successfully carried out more than 200 conservation projects basing all conservation actions on scientific and technical information for planning and implementing environmental policies and the proposal of viable solutions for sustainable use of natural resources and focusing their efforts established within eight protected natural areas that include the reefs of Banco Chinchorro, and Xcalak at South of Quintana Roo, Sian Kaʼan Biosphere Reserve, Cancun, the island of

Cozumel Cozumel (; ) is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It is separated from the mainland by the Cozumel Channel and is close to the Yucatán Channel. The ...

that is located in front of Xcaret and Isla Contoy up north, covering . These areas lie in parts of all seven

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

coastal municipalities of the state, with the largest part being in eastern

Felipe Carrillo Puerto Felipe Santiago Carrillo Puerto (8 November 1874 – 3 January 1924) was a Mexican journalist, politician and revolutionary who served as the governor of Yucatán from 1922 until his assassination in 1924. He became known for his efforts at rec ...

, where the vast majority of Sian Kaʼan Biosphere Reserve lies. Part of the reserve is on land and part is in the Caribbean Sea, including a section of

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in group ...

. The reserve has an area of . The reserve also includes some 23 known

archeological sites Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeology ...

of the

Maya civilization The Maya civilization () was a Mesoamerican civilization that existed from antiquity to the early modern period. It is known by its ancient temples and glyphs (script). The Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writin ...

including Muyil. Remains of the Decauville railway Vigía Chico-Santa Cruz, which was operated from 1905 to 1932, can be found at several places. Within the Amigos de Sian Kaʼan project objectives are the identification, protection, and management of additional areas with high

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

value as well as those critical for maintenance of the life cycles of endangered, threatened, and migratory species in the

Riviera Maya The Riviera Maya () is a tourism and resort district south of Cancun, Mexico. It straddles the coastal Federal Highway 307, along the Caribbean coastline of the state of Quintana Roo, located in the eastern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula. O ...

, providing environmental education through books, journals, and pamphlets, giving technical assistance, and training to Mayan communities working with ecotourism.

Biological species

A list of some of the species recorded in Sian Kaʼan: * '' Alouatta pigra'' (Yucatán black howler monkey) * '' Amazona xantholora'' (yellow-lored amazon) * '' Ardea herodias'' (great blue heron) * ''

Ateles geoffroyi Geoffroy's spider monkey (''Ateles geoffroyi''), also known as the black-handed spider monkey or the Central American spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central America, parts of Mexico and possibly a ...

'' (Geoffroy's spider monkey) * '' Caracara plancus'' (crested caracara) * ''

Crax rubra The great curassow (''Crax rubra'') is a large, pheasant-like bird from the Neotropical rainforests, its range extending from eastern Mexico, through Central America to western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. Male birds are black with curly c ...

'' (great curassow) * '' Crocodylus acutus'' (American crocodile) * '' Crocodylus moreletii'' (Morelet's crocodile) * ''

Ctenosaura similis ''Ctenosaura similis'', commonly known as the black iguanaLiner, Ernest A. and Gustavo Cass-Andreu. (2008). ''Standard Spanish, English and Scientific Names of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Mexico (2nd. ed.).'' Herpetological Circular No. 38. So ...

'' (black iguana) * ''

Cuniculus paca The lowland paca (''Cuniculus paca''), also known as the spotted paca, is a large rodent found in tropical and sub-tropical America, from east-central Mexico to northern Argentina, and has been introduced to Cuba and Algeria. The animal is call ...

'' (spotted paca) * '' Dasyprocta punctata'' (Central American agouti) * '' Dicotyles tajacu'' (collared peccary) * '' Eira barbara'' (tayra) * ''

Fregata magnificens The magnificent frigatebird (''Fregata magnificens''), frigate petrel or man o' war is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. With a length of and wingspan of , it is the largest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtr ...

'' (magnificent frigatebird) * '' Galictis vittata'' (greater grison) * '' Jabiru mycteria'' (jabiru) * ''

Leopardus pardalis The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted Felidae, wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, Central and South America, ...

'' (ocelot) * '' Leopardus wiedii'' (margay) * '' Meleagris ocellata'' (ocellated turkey) * '' Mycteria americana'' (wood stork) * '' Nasua narica'' (white-nosed coati) * ''

Odocoileus virginianus The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North, Central and South America. It is the most widely-distributed mainland ungulate ...

'' (white-tailed deer) * ''

Panthera onca The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat species in the Americas a ...

'' (jaguar) * '' Pelecanus occidentalis'' (brown pelican) * '' Nannopterum brasilianum'' (neotropic cormorant) * ''

Phoenicopterus ruber The American flamingo (''Phoenicopterus ruber'') is a large species of flamingo native to the West Indies, northern South America (including the Galápagos Islands) and the Yucatán Peninsula. It is closely related to the greater flamingo and Chi ...

'' (American flamingo) * '' Platalea ajaja'' (roseate spoonbill) * '' Potos flavus'' (kinkajou) * ''

Puma concolor The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, '' KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North, Central and South America, making it the most widely distributed wil ...

'' (puma) * '' Puma yagouaroundi'' (jaguarundi) * '' Ramphastos sulfuratus'' (keel-billed toucan) * '' Sarcoramphus papa'' (king vulture) * ''

Tamandua mexicana 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) * '' Tapirus bairdii'' (Baird's tapir) * '' Tayassu pecari'' (white-lipped peccary)

References

External links

Amigos de Sian Kaʼan / Friends of Sian Kaʼan (bilingual) conservation group

Centro Ecologico Sian Kaʼan
n English and Spanish {{Quintana Roo Biosphere reserves of Mexico Protected areas of Quintana Roo Tulum (municipality) Archaeological sites in Quintana Roo Natural history of Quintana Roo Ramsar sites in Mexico Protected areas established in 1986 1986 establishments in Mexico World Heritage Sites in Mexico Important Bird Areas of Mexico

Biological species

See also

References

External links