Trogons take to the air, spreading the seeds of wild avocados far and wide across this biosphere. Bearded wood partridges mask the karst limestone cliffs, tweeting as pumas and jaguars wind their way through the White Cedars below. Bromeliads borrow the height of Mexican oaks to bask in this treasure trove of life.
Acres Saved
Watch our short film about the Puro Coffee Mexico Rainforest Reserve.
“Illegal logging was a problem in this area but by establishing the reserve, GESG has succeeded in protecting the forest and ceasing logging activities. Without land purchase cattle ranching, logging and uncontrolled fires threaten to degrade this valuable habitat which is home to many Mexican endemics.”
Reserve Profile:
Organisation:
Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda (GESG)
Reserve:
Cerro-Prieto Cerro La Luz
We have saved:
1,110 acres
Total reserve size:
3,061 acres
Biodiversity:
The reserve is covered with white cedar-oak forest and karst limestone, home to Mexican species such as the endemic Greggi’s Pine (Pinus greggii),Oak species such as, (Quercus affinis, Q. laurina, Q.mexicana), and the endangered White Cedars (Cupressus lusitanica), which dominate the canopy. Wild avocado trees are plentiful – Aguacatillo (Persea caerulea) – and provide an important food source for birds and mammals. Trogons, for example, feed on the avocado fruit and then disperse avocado seeds far from parent trees. And an extraordinary community of bromeliads grows in the canopy, each one of them offering shelter to salamanders and tree frogs and food for coatimundis and other animals.
In the wettest areas of the reserve, some cloud forest species are present. Although no official wildlife surveys have been conducted in the area, GESG regularly find puma and jaguar tracks and scats, as well other indicator species, such as Crested Guans (Penelope purpurascens), and the endemic and highly threatened Bearded-wood partridges (Dendrortyx barbatus) and the rare margays (Leopardus weidii) and ocelots (Leopardus pardalis). Neotropical migrants include Townsend’s (Dendroica townsendi), Wilson’s (Wilsonia pusilla), Black and white (Mniotilta varia), Grace’s (Dendroica graciae), Black-throated Green (Dendroica virens) and Hermit warblers (Dendroica occidentalis), Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapillus), Hepatic (Piranga flava) and Summer (Piranga rubra) Tanagers, House wren (Troglodytes aedon) and Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus).
Habitat type:
Cloud and temperate forest
Elevation:
2200 meters a.s.l.
Location:
Mexico’s cloud and temperate forest reserve situated about 300 miles north of Mexico City, in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere within the centre of Mexico. View in Google Maps
Saving the Rainforest
We have been buying and protecting rainforest in partnership with World Land Trust, since 2005. Take a look at all the Puro Rainforest Reserves we have created together so far.