User:Jcmatt/Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra Gorda Guanajuato

Sierra Gorda Guanajuato Biosphere Reserve (Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra Gorda de Guanajuato) new article content ...

The Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra Gorda de Guanajuato, its official name, is one of the most important and biodiverse – yet little known – ecosystems in the country. The Reserva holds within its 236,882 hectares of protected bounds an extraordinary amount of biodiversity, including jaguars, margay and a wide variety of cacti, and at least 5 distinct types of ecological communities: semi-arid matorral (scrubland), coniferous forest, oak forest, pine-oak mixed forest, and semi-tropical deciduous low forest. Rainfall varies greatly along two gradients, with higher elevations typically wetter than lower elevations, and the eastern part of the reserve getting more rainfall than the western part. The majority of the reserve drains into the Rio Santa Maria, which continues through Querétaro and into the Huasteca Potosína of San Luis Potosí.

Spread over 5 municipios (counties) and 200 communities in the state of Guanajuato – including nearly all of Xichú, 70 percent of Victoria, 65 percent of Atarjea, a quarter of San Luis de la Paz and a small portion of Santa Catarina – more than 20,000 people live and work within the Reserva.[28][29] Like many other federally-funded, naturally protected areas in Mexico, approximately half the reserve is ejido territory (communal land), and the other half is private property. Only ecotourism, research activities, traditional economic activities and low impact development is allowed in the nucleus.

This section of the Sierra Gorda is home to 84 species of plants from trees to cactae, 182 species of birds and 42 species of mammals. The rugged terrain means that there are a wide number and variety of microclimates although average temperatures vary only between 16 and 19 °C. It lowest point is a canyon called Paso de Hormigas in Xichú at 650 meters above sea level with a very warm climate suitable for tropical fruit. The highest point is Pinal de Zamorano at 2,962 meters, followed by El Picacho de Pueblo Nuevo, El Zorillo and El Cuervo all above 2,700 meters. The largest changes are seen in arid versus wetter zones, which can often be relatively nearby, with foliage changing from rainforest to pine forest to desert landscapes.

The area is the poorest in Guanajuato, with over 200 communities which have a population of less than 15. This area is the most rugged in the state where most of the natural areas and small villages remain intact due to their inaccessibility. Culturally, the Sierra Gorda region is the far western part of La Huasteca, which extends over parts of the states of Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo and Veracruz.

Managed by Comisión Naciónal de Areas Natural Protegidas (CONANP) in San Luis de La Paz, the central mission of the Reserva is to work hand-in-hand with residents of the Reserva to promote conservation and sustainable development. In 2011, the CONANP will work with the residents of the Reserva, along with university and other professionals, to develop and implement the Reserva’s first Management Plan.

Environmental Threats
Due to the area’s history and population pressure, the reserve is faced with a number of environmental threats. Until the 1950’s, large portions of the reserve were deforested by the mining industry. They simply paid communities to come in and cut entire forests, which have been slow or completely unable to recover due to continuing pressure from human impacts or limited productivity of the natural systems. Most of the population is poor and highly marginalized, so they rely on appropriating resources from the local environment to live. The ongoing human impacts include clearing forests for agriculture, overgrazing of livestock, unsustainable exploitation of forest resources such as firewood, and the erosion that all of these activities contribute to. In addition, some natural threats include wildfires and forest insects/diseases.