Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine-oak forests
Encyclopedia
The Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine-oak forests is an ecoregion
of southern Mexico
, in the Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
biome
. It occupies the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca
, which lies mostly within the state of Oaxaca
, extending north into Puebla
and Veracruz
states. It is one of a chain of pine-oak forest ecoregions extending along the American Cordillera
from Arizona and Baja California in the north to Nicaragua in the south.
runs northeast-southwest, extending 300 kilometers from Pico de Orizaba
in the northeast to extends to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
in the southeast. Peaks in the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca average 2,500 meters in elevation, with some peaks exceeding 3,000 meters. The Gulf Coastal Plain
lies to the east, and a series of river valleys separate the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca from the Sierra Madre del Sur
to the southwest and the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
to the northwest. The range intercepts humid air moving west from the Gulf of Mexico
, and the ecoregion is bounded on the east by the humid Oaxacan montane forests, which lie below 1600 meters elevation. To the east, the xeric
Tehuacan Valley matorral
occupies the Tehuacan valley to the northwest, the Jalisco dry forests occupy the upper basin of the Santo Domingo River
, which lies in the rain shadow of the Sierra, and the Southern Pacific dry forests lie to the south along the Pacific coast, extending into the upper basin of the Tehuantepec River
and the Valley of Oaxaca
. The dry forests separate the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine-oak forests from the Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests
to the southwest.
, pines and oaks.
, Cuicatec
and Chinantec
.
Despite the efforts of most Sierra communities, the forests are still dangerously under threat by foreign investment. The Oaxaca state government, under Governor Ulises Ruiz is persistent in trying to give mining and logging commissions to foreign companies.
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of southern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, in the Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests are a forest biome. They are located in regions of semi-humid climate at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Most tropical and subtropical coniferous forest ecoregions are found in the Nearctic and Neotropic ecozones, from Mexico to Nicaragua and on the...
biome
Biome
Biomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as ecosystems. Some parts of the earth have more or less the same kind of abiotic and biotic factors spread over a...
. It occupies the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca
Sierra Madre de Oaxaca
The Sierra Madre de Oaxaca is a mountain range in southern Mexico. It begins at Pico de Orizaba and extends in a southeasterly direction for 300 km until reaching the Isthmus of Tehuantepec...
, which lies mostly within the state of Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
, extending north into Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
and Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
states. It is one of a chain of pine-oak forest ecoregions extending along the American Cordillera
American cordillera
The American Cordillera is a cordillera that consists of an essentially continuous sequence of mountain ranges that form the western "backbone" of North America, Central America, South America and Antarctica. From north to south, this sequence of overlapping and parallel ranges begins with the...
from Arizona and Baja California in the north to Nicaragua in the south.
Setting
The ecoregion covers an area of 14300 square kilometres (5,521.3 sq mi), lying above 1600 meters elevation. The Sierra Madre de OaxacaSierra Madre de Oaxaca
The Sierra Madre de Oaxaca is a mountain range in southern Mexico. It begins at Pico de Orizaba and extends in a southeasterly direction for 300 km until reaching the Isthmus of Tehuantepec...
runs northeast-southwest, extending 300 kilometers from Pico de Orizaba
Pico de Orizaba
The Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl , is a stratovolcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and the third highest in North America. It rises above sea level in the eastern end of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, on the border between the states of Veracruz and Puebla...
in the northeast to extends to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
Isthmus of Tehuantepec
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, and prior to the opening of the Panama Canal was a major shipping route known simply as the Tehuantepec Route...
in the southeast. Peaks in the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca average 2,500 meters in elevation, with some peaks exceeding 3,000 meters. The Gulf Coastal Plain
Gulf Coastal Plain
The Gulf Coastal Plain extends around the Gulf of Mexico in the Southern United States and eastern Mexico.The plain reaches from the western Florida Panhandle, the southwestern two thirds of Alabama, over most of Mississippi, some of western Tennessee and Kentucky, southwest Arkansas, the Florida...
lies to the east, and a series of river valleys separate the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca from the Sierra Madre del Sur
Sierra Madre del Sur
The Sierra Madre del Sur is a mountain range in southern Mexico, extending from southern Michoacán east through Guerrero, to the Istmo de Tehuantepec in eastern Oaxaca.-Geography:...
to the southwest and the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
Trans-Mexican volcanic belt
The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the Sierra Nevada , is a volcanic belt that extends 900 km from west to east across central-southern Mexico...
to the northwest. The range intercepts humid air moving west from the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, and the ecoregion is bounded on the east by the humid Oaxacan montane forests, which lie below 1600 meters elevation. To the east, the xeric
Deserts and xeric shrublands
Deserts and xeric shrublands is a biome characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture.-Definition and occurrence:...
Tehuacan Valley matorral
Tehuacán Valley matorral
The Tehuacán Valley matorral is a xeric shrubland ecoregion, within the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, in central Mexico.-Setting:The ecoregion occupies the Tehuacán and Cuicatlán valleys, covering parts of Puebla and Oaxaca states. The valleys lie in the rain shadow of the surrounding...
occupies the Tehuacan valley to the northwest, the Jalisco dry forests occupy the upper basin of the Santo Domingo River
Santo Domingo River
Santo Domingo River is a river of Venezuela. It is part of the Orinoco River basin....
, which lies in the rain shadow of the Sierra, and the Southern Pacific dry forests lie to the south along the Pacific coast, extending into the upper basin of the Tehuantepec River
Tehuantepec River
-References:* Atlas of Mexico, 1975 .* The Prentice Hall American World Atlas, 1984.* Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993....
and the Valley of Oaxaca
Valley of Oaxaca
The Valley of Oaxaca is a geographic region located within the modern day State of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. The valley, which is located within the Sierra Madre Mountains, is shaped like a distorted and almost upside-down “Y,” with each of its arms bearing specific names: the northwestern Etla...
. The dry forests separate the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine-oak forests from the Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests
Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests
The Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests is a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion of the Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range of southern Mexico.-Setting:...
to the southwest.
Flora
The vegetation varies with elevation and exposure. The predominant vegetation types are pine forest, pine-oak forest, oak forest, and cloud forest. These forests have a great diversity of bromeliads, orchids, fernsFern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
, pines and oaks.
Fauna
The forests of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca are one of the last refuges for the Jaguar and Puma in densely populated Mexico.People
The Pine-Oak forests of the sierra Madre of Oaxaca have been inhabited for millennia by a multitude of indigenous cultures, mainly the Mazatec, Zapotec, MixeMixe
The Mixe or Mije is an indigenous group inhabiting the eastern highlands of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. They speak the Mixe languages which are classified in the Mixe–Zoque family, and are more culturally conservative than other indigenous groups of the region, maintaining their language to this...
, Cuicatec
Cuicatec
The Cuicatecs are an indigenous group of the Mexican state of Oaxaca, closely related to the Mixtecs. They inhabit two towns: Teutila and Tepeuxila in western Oaxaca...
and Chinantec
Chinantec
The Chinantecs are an indigenous people that live in Oaxaca and Veracruz, Mexico, especially in the districts of Cuicatlán, Ixtlán de Juárez, Tuxtepec and Choapan.The Chinantec languages belong to the Chinantecan branch of the Oto-Manguean family...
.
Conservation and threats
Some of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca forests are some of the best conserved forests in Mexico. Unlike many other virgin forest areas of Mexico, only a tiny fraction of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca Forests are protected by any State or Federal government in the Parque Nacional Benito Juarez, just north of Oaxaca City. Instead most conservation in the Sierra is controlled by indigenous communities.For example, Santiago Comaltepec's vast expanse of cloud forest is considered some of the best conserved cloud forests in the world. Many communities, notably Ixtlán de Juárez and the Pueblo Mancomunados, among others, strive to conserve their forest through projects including sustainable forestry and selective logging, ecotourism and education projects, and the prohibition of private property within their communities (thus hampering unsustainable development and industry by foreign or outside agents).Despite the efforts of most Sierra communities, the forests are still dangerously under threat by foreign investment. The Oaxaca state government, under Governor Ulises Ruiz is persistent in trying to give mining and logging commissions to foreign companies.