The Sierra de la Laguna is a mountain range at the southern end of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico, and is the southernmost range of the

Peninsular Ranges The Peninsular Ranges (also called the Lower California province) are a group of mountain ranges that stretch from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges, which ...

System. It is located in La Paz Municipality and Los Cabos Municipality of southern

Baja California Sur Baja California Sur (; 'South Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California Sur ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California Sur), is the least populated state and the 31st admitted state of the 32 federal ent ...

state. The "Sierra de la Laguna High Point", at in elevation, is the highest point of the range and in

state. Peakery.com: Sierra de la Laguna High Point - Baja California Sur, Mexico
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Ecology

The southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, including the Sierra de la Laguna, was formerly an island in prehistoric times. It has a distinctive flora and fauna, with many affinities to Southwestern Mexico. The Sierra is home to many endemic species and subspecies. The dry San Lucan xeric scrub ecoregion extends from the sea level at the coast to in elevation. The Sierra de la Laguna dry forests ecoregion occupy lower portion of the range, from in elevation. Above in elevation, the dry forests transition to the

Sierra de la Laguna pine-oak forests Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain range i ...

ecoregion. The composition of the pine- oak forests varies with elevation; oak woodlands predominate from in elevation, with oak-pine woodlands between in elevation, transitioning to pine-oak forests above in elevation. The predominant pine is a local subspecies of Mexican Pinyon, '' Pinus cembroides'' subsp. ''lagunae''. The upper reaches of the mountains include endemic species such as a rare

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

plant ''

Dudleya rigida ''Dudleya rigida'' is a species of succulent perennial plant in the family Crassulaceae known commonly as the La Laguna liveforever. Characterized by a tall inflorescence with pendant yellowish-red flowers, it is a very rare plant whose existe ...

,'' and a

beargrass ''Xerophyllum tenax'' is a North American species of plants in the corn lily family. It is known by several common names, including bear grass, soap grass, quip-quip, and Indian basket grass. Ecology ''Xerophyllum tenax'' has flowers with si ...

known as ''

Nolina beldingii ''Nolina beldingii'' is a species of perennial flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae known commonly as the Cape nolina or Belding's beargrass. It is an arborescent monocot growing up to high, with fissured bark on a trunk topped with leaf r ...

.'' The forests are exploited commercially for timber, and cattle-raising is common in the oak woodland and dry forest zones.

Biosphere reserve

UNESCO has designated the Sierra de la Laguna a global biosphere reserve: "This semi arid to temperate subhumid climate area represents highly important and contrasted ecosystems, including arid zones,

matorral 300px, Springtime in Chilean matorral a few kilometers north of Santiago along the Pan-American Highway Matorral is a Spanish language, Spanish word, along with ''tomillares'', for shrubland, thicket or bushes. It is used in naming and describin ...

es, low deciduous forest type, evergreen oak: ''

Quercus devia ''Quercus devia'' is a species of oak tree in the family Fagaceae, native to northwestern Mexico. The tree is endemic to the Sierra de la Laguna range of the Peninsular Ranges system, located in the southern part of the Baja California Sur st ...

'' (“encino”) woods, pine-evergreen oak mix woods and oases with palms and “guerivos” situated throughout the gallery forest following the long river basins." The Biosphere reserve was established by a Mexican presidential decree of 6 June 1994, which designated a core area and buffer zones. The core area is centered on the higher-elevation oak-pine forests, while the transition area includes the communities of Todos Santos,

El Pescadero El Pescadero is a small village in the municipality of La Paz in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. It is located at km 64 on Federal Highway 19 on the Pacific Ocean about 8 kilometers South of Todos Santos which is about a one-hour dr ...

, El Triunfo, San Antonio, San Bartolo, Buena Vista, Los Barriles, Las Cuevas, Santiago and

Miraflores, Baja California Sur Miraflores is a small town in the Municipality of Los Cabos (Baja California Sur). Miraflores is located about 45 miles north of San Jose del Cabo, 2 km west of Highway 1, just to the east of the Sierra de la Laguna. Miraflores is 220 meters ...

Climate

The climate is influenced by its altitude. At higher altitudes, it has a subtropical highland climate with cool temperatures year round and higher amounts of precipitation.

References

External links

UNESCO Biosphere Reserves Directory: Sierra de la Laguna
{{Coord, 23, 34, N, 110, 00, W, region:MX_type:mountain, display=title Mountain ranges of Baja California Sur Peninsular Ranges La Paz Municipality (Baja California Sur) Los Cabos Municipality (Baja California Sur) Biosphere reserves of Mexico Protected areas of Baja California Sur Important Bird Areas of Mexico