The Sierra de la Laguna is a mountain range at the southern end of the Baja California Peninsula 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 ...

, and is the southernmost range of the Peninsular Ranges System. It is located in La Paz Municipality and

Los Cabos Municipality Los Cabos () is a municipality located at the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, in the state of Baja California Sur. It encompasses the two towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo (the municipal seat) linked by a thirty ...

of southern Baja California Sur state. The "Sierra de la Laguna High Point", at in elevation, is the highest point of the range and in Baja California Sur 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 Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

species and subspecies. The dry

San Lucan xeric scrub The San Lucan xeric scrub is a xeric shrubland ecoregion of the southernmost Baja California Peninsula, in Los Cabos Municipality and eastern La Paz Municipality of southern Baja California Sur state, Mexico. Geography The San Lucan xeric scr ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

extends from the sea level at the coast to in elevation. The

Sierra de la Laguna dry forests The Sierra de la Laguna dry forests are a subtropical dry forest ecoregion of the southern Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. Geography The dry forests cover the lower elevations of the Sierra de la Laguna, from elevation. They are surroun ...

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 ecoregion. The composition of the

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

forests varies with elevation; oak

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (se ...

s 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'', also known as pinyon pine, Mexican pinyon, Mexican nut pine, and Mexican stone pine, is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to western North America. It grows in areas with low levels of rainfall and its range extends so ...

, ''

Pinus cembroides ''Pinus cembroides'', also known as pinyon pine, Mexican pinyon, Mexican nut pine, and Mexican stone pine, is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to western North America. It grows in areas with low levels of rainfall and its range extends ...

'' subsp. ''lagunae''. The upper reaches of the mountains include endemic species such as a rare succulent plant '' Dudleya rigida,'' 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.'' The forests are exploited commercially for

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

, and

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

-raising is common in the oak woodland and dry forest zones.

Biosphere reserve

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 ...

has designated the Sierra de la Laguna a global

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 ...

: "This semi arid to temperate subhumid climate area represents highly important and contrasted ecosystems, including arid zones, matorrales, low deciduous forest type, evergreen oak: '' Quercus devia'' (“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 Triunfo,

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, San Bartolo, Buena Vista, Los Barriles, Las Cuevas,

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

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 mete ...

Climate

The climate is influenced by its altitude. At higher altitudes, it has a

subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

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