Sierra Madre de Chiapas moist forests

The Sierra Madre de Chiapas moist forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in southern Mexico and southern Guatemala, extending into the northwestern corner of El Salvador.

Sierra Madre de Chiapas moist forests
Forest in El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, Chiapas.
Ecoregion territory (in purple)
Ecology
RealmNeotropical
Biometropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
BordersCentral American dry forests, Central American pine-oak forests and Southern Pacific dry forests
Geography
Area11,218 km2 (4,331 sq mi)
CountriesMexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador
States of MexicoChiapas
Conservation
Conservation statusCritical/endangered
Protected1,787 km² (16%)[1]

Geography

The moist forests ecoregion lies on the southern slope of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, between the Central American pine-oak forests which cover the mountains' higher elevations to the north, and the Central American dry forests in the Pacific coastal lowlands to the south.[2]

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is tropical and humid. The mountains intercept prevailing winds from the Pacific, creating clouds, fog, and orographic precipitation. The forests have a cooler and wetter climate than the adjacent lowlands. Average annual temperatures decrease with elevation.[2]

Flora

The main plant community is montane tropical broadleaf evergreen forest.[2]

Fauna

The ecoregion has over 300 species of birds. It is a center of endemism for salamanders and butterflies.[2]

Human impacts

Much of the ecoregion's forest has been cleared for agriculture and grazing. Much of the remaining forest area is fragmented or degraded. The ecoregion has a road density of 645 meters per square kilometers, the highest of Central America's ecoregions.[3]

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found 1,787 km², or 16%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas.[1] In 2000 7% of the ecoregion's area was protected.<ref>Corrales, Lenin & Bouroncle, Claudia & Zamora Pereira, Juan. (2015). An overview of forest biomes and ecoregions of Central America.[3] La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve and El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas protect portions of the ecoregion.

See also
  • "Sierra Madre de Chiapas moist forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.

References
  1. Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
  2. "Sierra Madre de Chiapas moist forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  3. Corrales, Lenin & Bouroncle, Claudia & Zamora Pereira, Juan. (2015). An overview of forest biomes and ecoregions of Central America.
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