Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve
Dec 09,2007 00:00
by
lescobar
A place of immense biological value, the Río Lagartos reserve is home to more than 1,000 species of flora and fauna. The reserve is located on the Yucatán Peninsula, which is characterized by its limestone platform that is formed by cretaceous sedimentary rocks and lacks surface level water flows. Instead, the water filters through the limestone, forming a shallow water table and series of caves, subterranean streams, and natural fresh-water wells known as cenotes.
The Gulf of Mexico borders the reserve to the north and the municipalities of Tizimin, Río Lagartos and San Felipe border it to the south, while the state of Quintana Roo makes up its eastern border. The reserve is located 270 kilometers from Mérida and 50 kilometers from Tizimin.
Spanning 60,348 hectares (149,123 acres), the Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve has two ecoregions:
Mexican mangroves and Yucatán dry forest. The protected area’s habitat is known as a wetlands system.
The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has determined the location of the reserve’s archeological sites and has classified them into four categories. Thus far, there are plans to restore and conserve the zones within the coastal dunes where a Maya Route (“sacbé” or white trail) began.
Flora : Río Lagartos has 523 registered plant species, some of which are endemic to the Caribbean coastal states of Yucatán and Quintana Roo, while others can be found in widespread areas of southern Mexico, as well as neighboring countries in Central America.
Flora: Río Lagartos has 523 registered plant species, some of which are endemic to the Caribbean coastal states of Yucatán and Quintana Roo, while others can be found in widespread areas of southern Mexico, as well as neighboring countries in Central America.