The Sierra de Huautla is a mountain range and
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, or features of geological or ...
in central Mexico. Located in southern
Morelos, the Sierra de Huautla is a southern extension of the
Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt ( es, Eje Volcánico Transversal), also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the (''Snowy Mountain Range''), is an active volcanic belt that covers central-southern Mexico. Several of its highest peaks h ...
range into the
Balsas Basin. The dry forests of Sierra are home to a diverse community of animals and plants, and the reserve's outstanding biodiversity is recognized by
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 ...
.
["Sierra de Huautla Biosphere Reserve, Mexico". UNESCO, October 2018. Accessed 10 September 2021]
/ref>
Geography
The Sierra de Huautla consists of hills and mountains from 700 to over 2400 meters elevation.[ They generally run east–west, extending into the Balsas Basin and connecting to the main mass of the ]Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt ( es, Eje Volcánico Transversal), also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the (''Snowy Mountain Range''), is an active volcanic belt that covers central-southern Mexico. Several of its highest peaks h ...
on the northwest. They form the southern boundary of Morelos and extend into adjacent Guerrero
Guerrero is one of the 32 states that comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo and its largest city is Acapulcocopied from article, GuerreroAs of 2020, Guerrero the pop ...
and Puebla states. The highest peak is 2440 m.[
The Amacuzac River, a tributary of the ]Balsas River
The Balsas River (Spanish Río Balsas, also locally known as the Mezcala River, or Atoyac River) is a major river of south-central Mexico.
The basin flows through the states of Guerrero, México, Morelos, and Puebla. Downstream of Ciudad Alta ...
, runs from north to south and bisects the range.
The biosphere reserve covers the central portion of the range, with an area of 590.31 km2. It is mostly within Morelos, with portions extending into Guerrero and Puebla.[
]
Climate
The climate is tropical, warm, and subhumid, with an annual mean temperature of 24º C. Average annual rainfall is 885 mm, with a wet and a dry season. Temperatures are generally cooler and rainfall higher at higher elevations.[
]
Flora and fauna
According to the National Biodiversity Information System of (CONABIO) in Sierra de Huautla Biosphere Reserve there are over 2,465 plant and animal species from which 63 are in at risk category and 88 are exotics. tropical dry forest
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 ...
. The forests have a low open canopy, and many trees lose their leaves during the dry season.[ Dominant tree genera include '' Conzattia, ]Lysiloma
''Lysiloma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae.
The genus is native to the Americas, and species range from Arizona and New Mexico through Mexico and Central America to Costa Rica, and in Florida, Cuba, Hispaniola, the Baham ...
, Bursera
''Bursera'' is a genus with about 100 described species of flowering shrubs and trees varying in size up to high. It is the type genus for Burseraceae. The trees are native (often for many species endemic) to the Americas, from the southern Uni ...
, Ceiba
''Ceiba'' is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas (from Mexico and the Caribbean to N Argentina) and tropical West Africa. Some species can grow to tall or more, with a straight, la ...
, Acacia'', and ''Mimosa
''Mimosa'' is a genus of about 590 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek word (''mimos''), an "actor" or "mime", and the feminine suffix -''osa'', "resemb ...
''. There are evergreen gallery forests along rivers and streams.[
Pine–oak forests occur at higher elevations, mostly west of the Amacuzac River.
The reserve is home to 71 species of mammals, 208 species of birds, 53 species of reptiles, 18 species of amphibians, 14 species of fish, and 44 species of butterflies, including the ]short-horned baronia
''Baronia brevicornis'', commonly known as the short-horned baronia, is a species of butterfly in the monotypic genus ''Baronia'' and is placed in a subfamily of its own, the Baroniinae, a sister group of the remainder of the swallowtail butterf ...
butterfly (''Baronia brevicornis brevicornis'').[
Native mammals include puma (''Puma concolor''), ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis''), ]margay
The margay (''Leopardus wiedii'') is a small wild cat native to Central and South America. A solitary and nocturnal cat, it lives mainly in primary evergreen and deciduous forest.
Until the 1990s, margays were hunted illegally for the wildlif ...
(''Leopardus wiedii''), bobcat (''Lynx rufus'') and jaguarundi (''Herpailurus yagouaroundi''), grayish mouse opossum (''Tlacuatzin canescens canescens''), Allen's yellow bat (''Rhogeessa alleni''), slender yellow bat (''Rhogeessa gracilis''), little yellow bat (''Rhogeessa parvula major''), and Mexican long-tongued bat
The Mexican long-tongued bat (''Choeronycteris mexicana'') is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is the only species within the genus ''Choeronycteris''. The species is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and th ...
(''Choeronycteris mexicana'').[
Native birds include a diverse mix of southern tropical dry forest and montane pine–oak forest species, including the ]red-tailed hawk
The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members wit ...
(''Buteo jamaicensis''), common black hawk (''Buteogallus anthracinus''), ferruginous pygmy owl
The ferruginous pygmy owl (''Glaucidium brasilianum'') is a small owl that breeds in south-central Arizona and southern Texas in the United States, south through Mexico and Central America, to South America into Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Arge ...
(''Glaucidium brasilianum''), Balsas screech owl (''Megascops seductus''), black-vented oriole (''Icterus wagleri''), hooded oriole (''Icterus cucullatus''), blue mockingbird
The blue mockingbird (''Melanotis caerulescens'') is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is endemic to Mexico, but has occurred as a vagrant in the southern United States. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, sub ...
(''Melanotis caerulescens''), military macaw (''Ara militaris''), rufous-backed thrush (''Turdus rufopalliatus''), pileated flycatcher (''Xenotriccus mexicanus''), banded quail (''Philortyx fasciatus''), grey-breasted woodpecker (''Melanerpes hypopolius''), black-chested sparrow (''Peucaea humeralis''), rusty-crowned ground sparrow (''Melozone kieneri''), happy wren
The happy wren (''Pheugopedius felix'') is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is endemic to the Pacific slope of western Mexico, from the state of Sonora to the state of Oaxaca, and also on islands west of the Mexican coast. As ...
(''Pheugopedius felix''), West Mexican chachalaca (''Ortalis poliocephala''), golden-cheeked woodpecker
The golden-cheeked woodpecker (''Melanerpes chrysogenys'') is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is endemic to Mexico.
Taxonomy and systematics
The golden-cheeked woodpecker has sometimes been placed i ...
(''Melanerpes chrysogenys''), dusky hummingbird
The dusky hummingbird (''Phaeoptila sordida'') is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Mexico.
Taxonomy and systematics
The dusky hummingbird was formerly placed in the genus ...
(''Cynanthus sordidus''), and Cabanis's seedeater
The Cabanis's seedeater (''Amaurospiza concolor'') is a species of bird in the cardinal family Cardinalidae that the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) accepted as a species in 2015. (But see the taxonomy section below.) It is found ...
(''Amaurospiza concolor'').[BirdLife International (2021). "Important Bird Areas factsheet: Sierra de Huautla". Accessed 10 September 2021]
/ref> The Sierra is designated an important bird area, as it is home to both globally-threatened species and limited-range species.[
]
Conservation
In 1993 the state of Morelos designated a portion of the Sierra a State Ecological Conservation Area, with an area of 313.14 km2.[ In 1999 the Mexican government redesignated the ecological conservation area a biosphere reserve, and expanded it to 590.31 km2.][ UNESCO declared it an ]international biosphere reserve
Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the improvement of relationships between people and their environments.
MAB's work engag ...
in 2006.[
The main economic activities of people living in and around the reserve are subsistence agriculture and livestock raising.][ A silver mine in the area closed in the 1990s.][ Many local people have migrated to cities in Mexico and the United States. There are some local initiatives to grow fruit crops and develop ecotourism to provide a livelihood for local communities.][
]
References
{{reflist
External link
Sierra de Huautla Biosphere Reserve, Mexico (UNESCO)
Biosphere reserves of Mexico
Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
Protected areas of Morelos
Protected areas of Guerrero
Protected areas of Puebla
Protected areas of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
Important Bird Areas of Mexico