The Volcán Tacaná Biosphere Reserve ( es, Reserva de Biosfera Volcán Tacaná) (established 2006) is a
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 ...
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 o ...
at the
Tacaná Volcano in
Chiapas
Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...
,
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 ...
, on the border with
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
. The volcano is part of the
Central America Volcanic Arc
The Central American Volcanic Arc (often abbreviated to CAVA) is a chain of volcanoes which extends parallel to the Pacific coastline of the Central American Isthmus, from Mexico to Panama. This volcanic arc, which has a length of 1,100 kilometer ...
(''Nucleo Centroamericano''). The reserve contains fragile
ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
s very rich in wild flora and fauna species of cultural, scientific, economic and biological relevance. Its rich
biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
and high
endemism
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 elsew ...
are found particularly in the high mountain ecosystem and landscapes and in the volcanic edifice which presents geophysical features of great scientific and aesthetic value. Average annual rainfall can amount to , as in the case of
Soconusco
Soconusco is a region in the southwest corner of the state of Chiapas in Mexico along its border with Guatemala. It is a narrow strip of land wedged between the Sierra Madre de Chiapas mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It is the southernmost pa ...
.
[ ]
Human activities in the reserve include coffee-growing, flower-growing, bee-keeping, agriculture and tourism.
[
]
Ecological characteristics
The reserve is a rich reservoir of endemic and other species of Central and South American origin which, in Mexico, are only to be found in this area. The topography is rugged with ecosystems of evergreen medium altitude forests, cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...
s and pine, oak and fir forests. It is the only place in the country where two ecosystems are represented: the Tropical Páramo and the Chusquea
''Chusquea'' is a genus of evergreen bamboos in the grass family. Most of them are native to mountain habitats in Latin America, from Mexico to southern Chile and Argentina.
They are sometimes referred to as South American mountain bamboos. Unl ...
l ecosystems.[
The Volcán Tacana Biosphere Reserve harbors a rich variety of endemic species of flora ('' Chusquea martinezi'') and fauna ('']Cyllopsis
''Cyllopsis'' is a genus of Satyrinae, satyrid butterflies found in the Neotropical realm. The genus was erected by Rudolf Felder in 1869.
Species
Listed alphabetically:
*''Cyllopsis argentella'' (Butler & H. Druce, 1872)
*''Cyllopsis caballeroi ...
'' spp. ''Limanopoda cinna'', '' Dalla'' sp. ''Lepidoptera-Rhopalocera''). Included among the biota of the volcano are a significant number of charismatic or protected species, such as the Canaco tree (''Chiranthodendron derbianus'') and the Ornate hawk-eagle
The ornate hawk-eagle (''Spizaetus ornatus'') is a fairly large bird of prey from the tropical Americas. Formerly, some authorities referred to this species as the crested hawk-eagle, a name that may cause some confusion as it is more commonly us ...
(''Spizaetus ornatos''). There are innumerable species of orchids and bromeliads.[
]
Flora and fauna
According to the National Biodiversity Information System of (CONABIO) in Volcán Tacaná Biosphere Reserve there are over 2,455 plant and animal species from which 185 are in at risk category and 48 are exotics.
Sources
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Volcan Tacana Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserves of Mexico
Protected areas of Chiapas
Sierra Madre de Chiapas
Important Bird Areas of Mexico
Central American pine–oak forests