Formed from volcanic activity, this small coastal ecoregion bound by the Sierra de los Tuxtlas mountains is recognized as an important zone for nearctic-neotropical migrant birds. Its geographical position contributes to a combination of nearctic and neotropical biotas that accounts for its enormous variety of taxa: approximately 940 species of plants, 80 pteridophytes (3rd highest in Mexico), over 1200 insects, 122 reptiles and amphibians, over 440 species of birds, and around 115 mammals. Deforestation and exotic wildlife trade constitute the major threats to this unique ecoregion.
Location and General Description
Types and Severity of Threats
Justification of Ecoregion Delineation
The delineation’s for this ecoregion were derived according to current vegetation cover maps (INEGI 1996) of Mexico, and were modified by expert opinion at a number of ecoregion workshops (CONABIO 1996 and 1997). Linework follows the INEGI (1996) classification of oak forests on the Gulf coast plains of the state of Veracruz, and encompasses all human modified landscapes within the broader historical coverage of these forests according to expert opinion (Rzedowski pers. comm.). This ecoregion is an important center of endemism and is unique in species compositions.
CONABIO Workshop, 17-16 September, 1996. Informe de Resultados del Taller de Ecoregionalización para la Conservación de México.
CONABIO Workshop, Mexico, D.F., November 1997. Ecological and Biogeographical Regionalization of Mexico.
INEGI Map. 1996. Comision Nacional Para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO) habitat and land use classification database derived from ground truthed remote sensing data Insitituto Nacional de Estastica, Geografia, e Informática (INEGI). Map at a scale of 1:1,000,000.
Rzedowski, J. pers.comm. at CONABIO Workshop, 17-16 September, 1996. Informe de Resultados del Taller de Ecoregionalización para la Conservación de México.
Prepared by: Alejandra Valero, Jan Schipper, and Tom Allnutt
Reviewed by: In Process