Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra La Laguna

Located at the southern end of the Baja California peninsula, this region was once an isolated island and contains a high number of endemic species. After joining the mainland, this region gave way to speciation and is high in species diversity; this portion of the peninsula contains the majority of the species found here. This subtropical dry forest is threatened by cattle grazing and the hunting of predators. Designated as a Protected Natural Area (PNA), hopefully this unique and important ecoregion will be saved from fragmentation.
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In between the mountainous pine-oak forests and the dry xeric scrub of The Cape Region lies the Sierra de la Laguna Dry Forests ecoregion, a unique hotspot for biodiversity on the peninsula. The dry forests of Sierra de la Laguna are home to some 224 species of plants, half the reptiles and amphibians in the entire Cape Region, and 96 percent of the region's mammals. More than 10 percent of these species are endemic to this area. Located on a peninsula that is mostly desert, these forests are an isolated oasis where a variety of unique species have evolved in isolation.
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The fragile nature of this region requires legal protection over a long period, in order to prevent it from disturbances caused by human overpopulation and exploitation of forest resources for livestock. Native villagers often killed wild species (mostly predators) that are considered as threats to their domestic animals (Ortega & Arriaga 1988). If this continues, it could alter the natural processes maintaining biodiversity in the area. Although human disturbance in Sierra de la Laguna has been kept to a minimum, any uncontrolled perturbation to this fragile ecosystem could create an imbalance. This would ultimately cause the disappearance of an extraordinary array of evolutionary phenomena that produce such a unique vegetation assemblage in the middle of an enormous desert.
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Contact address:

-Mario Rodríguez
-Dirección de la Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra La Laguna
-Melchor Ocampo No. 1045 E/Lic. Verdad y Marcelo Rubio, 23000. La Paz, Baja California Sur
Mexico
-Telephone: (52) 612 1226890
(52) 612 1239300
-Fax: (52) 612 1226890
-E-mail: lalaguna@conanp.gob.mx
mrrodrig@conanp.gob.mx