La Michilía Biosphere Reserve is a protected area in northwestern Mexico. It is located in the Sierra Madre Occidental range in the south of the state of Durango.
| La Michilía Biosphere Reserve | |
|---|---|
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)[1] | |
  | |
| Location | Durango, Mexico |
| Nearest city | San Francisco del Mezquital |
| Coordinates | 23°27′48.2″N 104°16′08.3″W / 23.463389°N 104.268972°W |
| Area | 35,000 ha (140 sq mi) |
| Designated | 1977 & 2000 |
| Administrator | National Commission of Natural Protected Areas |
| Website | http://simec.conanp.gob.mx/ficha.php?anp=28®=3 |
Geography edit
The reserve covers an area of 350 km2.[1] The reserve spans two ranges, the Sierra Michis and the Sierra Urica, which are part of the Sierra Madre Occidental. Between the two sierras is a landscape of hills and plateaus, threaded through by valleys and canyons.[2] The valley of the San Pedro Mezquital River lies west of the reserve, and the Mexican Plateau to the north and east. The reserve adjoins the Cuenca Alimentadora del Distrito Nacional de Riego 043 Estado de Nayarit on the northwest and southwest.
Ecology edit
There reserve is in the Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests ecoregion. It is home to several distinct plant communities. Conifer forests prevail at higher elevation, with species of pine (Pinus), Mexican Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. lindleyana), cypress (Cupressus), and juniper (Juniperus), along with pine–oak forests. Oak (Quercus spp.) forests and woodlands are found at middle elevations. Other plant communities include grasslands, dry shrubland, and wetlands. The reserve is home to 770 species of vascular plants.[2]
Large mammals include the Coues white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus mexicanus), puma (Puma concolor), and coyote (Canis latrans).[3][4] The Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyii) and American black bear (Ursus americanus) had been extirpated from the reserve, but have been successfully reintroduced.[2] There is a captive breeding facility for Mexican wolves and white tailed deer.[5][6][7]
Native birds include the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), and thick-billed parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha). The imperial woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis) once inhabited the area but is now thought to be extinct.[2]
Conservation edit
It was designated an international biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1977, and designated a Mexican national biosphere reserve in 2000.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c UNEP-WCMC (2021). "Protected Area Profile for La Michilía from the World Database of Protected Areas". Accessed 28 August 2021. [1]
- ^ a b c d UNESCO (2018), "La Michilia Biosphere Reserve, Mexico". Biosphere reserves in Latin America and the Caribbean, UNESCO. Accessed 28 August 2021. [2]
- ^ Galindo-Leal, Carlos; G., Angeles Morales; R., Manuel Weber (1993). "Distribution and Abundance of Coues Deer and Cattle in Michilia Biosphere Reserve, Mexico". The Southwestern Naturalist. 38 (2): 127–135. doi:10.2307/3672064. ISSN 0038-4909. JSTOR 3672064. S2CID 87865337.
- ^ Servín, Jorge; Sánchez-Cordero, Victor; Gallina, Sonia (30 May 2003). "Distances Traveled Daily by Coyotes, Canis latrans, in a Pine-Oak Forest in Durango, Mexico". Journal of Mammalogy. 82 (2): 547–552. doi:10.1644/1545-1542(2003)084<0547:DTDBCC>2.0.CO;2.
- ^ Barraza-Guerrero, Sergio I.; Meza-Herrera, César A.; García-De la Peña, Cristina; Ávila-Rodríguez, Verónica; Vaca-Paniagua, Felipe; Díaz-Velásquez, Clara E.; Pacheco-Torres, Irene; Valdez-Solana, Mónica A.; Siller-Rodríguez, Quetzaly K.; Valenzuela-Núñez, Luis M.; Herrera-Salazar, Juan C. (2021-07-09). "Unveiling the Fecal Microbiota in Two Captive Mexican Wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) Populations Receiving Different Type of Diets". Biology. 10 (7): 637. doi:10.3390/biology10070637. ISSN 2079-7737. PMC 8301095. PMID 34356492.
- ^ Servín, Jorge (2000). "Duration and frequency of chorus howling of the mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi)". Acta Zoológica Mexicana (80): 223–231. doi:10.21829/azm.2000.80801902. ISSN 0065-1737.
- ^ Pérez Verdín, Gustavo; Lee, Martha E.; Chavez, Deborah J. (2008). "Planning forest recreation in natural protected areas of southern Durango, Mexico". Madera y Bosques. 14 (1): 53–67. doi:10.21829/myb.2008.1411219. ISSN 1405-0471.