The Sierra de Huautla is a mountain range and biosphere reserve in central Mexico. Located in southern Morelos, the Sierra de Huautla is a southern extension of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt 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.[3]
Geography
The Sierra de Huautla consists of hills and mountains from 700 to over 2400 meters elevation.[3] They generally run east–west, extending into the Balsas Basin and connecting to the main mass of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt on the northwest. They form the southern boundary of Morelos and extend into adjacent Guerrero and Puebla states. The highest peak is 2440 m.[3]
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.[1]
Climate
The climate is tropical, warm, and subhumid, with an annual mean temperature of 24 °C. Average annual rainfall is 885 mm, with a wet and a dry season. Temperatures are generally cooler and rainfall higher at higher elevations.[2]
Flora and fauna
Streak-backed oriole (Icterus pustulatus) in Balneario Las Huertas, Tlaquiltenango, Morelos
According to the National Biodiversity Information System of Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (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.[4]
The flora varies with elevation, soils, and exposure. The reserve has 939 species of native vascular plants, including several endemic and limited-range species.
The main plant community at lower elevations is tropical dry forest. The forests have a low open canopy, and many trees lose their leaves during the dry season.[3] Dominant tree genera include Conzattia, Lysiloma, Bursera, Ceiba, Acacia, and Mimosa. There are evergreen gallery forests along rivers and streams.[2][3]
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 butterfly (Baronia brevicornis brevicornis).[3]
In 1993 the state of Morelos designated a portion of the Sierra a State Ecological Conservation Area, with an area of 313.14 km2.[2] In 1999 the Mexican government redesignated the ecological conservation area a biosphere reserve, and expanded it to 590.31 km2.[1] UNESCO declared it an international biosphere reserve in 2006.[3]
The main economic activities of people living in and around the reserve are subsistence agriculture and livestock raising.[3] A silver mine in the area closed in the 1990s.[2] 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.[3]
References
^ abcUNEP-WCMC (2021). Protected Area Profile for Sierra de Huautla from the World Database of Protected Areas. Accessed 10 September 2021. [1]
^ abcdefgUrbina Torres, Fernando, Aquiles Argote Cortés, and César D. Jiménez Piedragil (1997). "Protected Areas of Morelos". in Aid, Charles S., Michael F. Carter, and A. Townsend Peterson. Protected Areas of Western Mexico: Status, Management, and Needs. Colorado Bird Observatory, September 1, 1997. Accessed 7 September 2021. [2]
^ abcdefghijk"Sierra de Huautla Biosphere Reserve, Mexico". UNESCO, October 2018. Accessed 10 September 2021. [3]
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