The following is a list of ecoregions in Mexico as identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). A different system of ecoregional analysis is used by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, a trilateral body linking Mexican, Canadian and United States environmental regime.
Terrestrial ecoregions
The terrestrial ecoregions of Mexico span two biogeographic realms - the Nearctic and Neotropic - which together constitute the entire biogeography of the Americas.
Veracruz is the most biodiverse state with 10 ecoregions across 5 biomes and 2 realms. Chiapas comes in a close second with 10 ecoregions across 4 biomes in the same realm. By contrast, Morelos is the least biodiverse state with just 2 ecoregions.[1]
Realm
|
Biome
|
Ecoregion
|
State
|
Nearctic
|
Deserts and xeric shrublands
|
Baja California desert
|
Baja California, Baja California Sur
|
Nearctic
|
Deserts and xeric shrublands
|
Central Mexican matorral
|
Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Mexico City, Michoacán, Querétaro, Zacatecas
|
Nearctic
|
Deserts and xeric shrublands
|
Chihuahuan Desert
|
Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, Sonora, Zacatecas
|
Nearctic
|
Deserts and xeric shrublands
|
Gulf of California xeric scrub
|
Baja California, Baja California Sur
|
Nearctic
|
Deserts and xeric shrublands
|
Meseta Central matorral
|
Coahuila, Durango, Hidalgo, Nuevo León, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas
|
Nearctic
|
Deserts and xeric shrublands
|
Sonoran Desert
|
Baja California, Sinaloa, Sonora
|
Nearctic
|
Deserts and xeric shrublands
|
Tamaulipan matorral
|
Nuevo León, Tamaulipas
|
Nearctic
|
Deserts and xeric shrublands
|
Tamaulipan mezquital
|
Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas
|
Nearctic
|
Mangroves
|
Northern Mesoamerican Pacific Coast Mangroves
|
Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Sonora
|
Nearctic
|
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
|
California coastal sage and chaparral
|
Baja California
|
Nearctic
|
Temperate coniferous forests
|
Sierra Juárez and San Pedro Mártir pine–oak forests
|
Baja California
|
Nearctic
|
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests
|
Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests
|
Chihuahua, Durango, Jalisco, Sonora, Zacatecas
|
Nearctic
|
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests
|
Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests
|
Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Hidalgo, Nuevo León, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Zacatecas
|
Nearctic
|
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
|
Sonoran–Sinaloan transition subtropical dry forest
|
Sinaloa, Sonora
|
Nearctic
|
Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
|
Tamaulipan pastizal
|
Tamaulipas
|
Neotropical
|
Deserts and xeric shrublands
|
San Lucan xeric scrub
|
Baja California Sur
|
Neotropical
|
Deserts and xeric shrublands
|
Tehuacán Valley matorral
|
Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala
|
Neotropical
|
Flooded grasslands and savannas
|
Central Mexican wetlands
|
Mexico, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Mexico City
|
Neotropical
|
Mangroves
|
Alvarado mangroves
|
Tamaulipas, Veracruz
|
Neotropical
|
Mangroves
|
Belizean Coast mangroves
|
Quintana Roo
|
Neotropical
|
Mangroves
|
Marismas Nacionales–San Blas mangroves
|
Nayarit, Sinaloa
|
Neotropical
|
Mangroves
|
Mayan Corridor mangroves
|
Quintana Roo
|
Neotropical
|
Mangroves
|
Mexican South Pacific Coast mangroves
|
Guerrero, Michoacán, Oaxaca
|
Neotropical
|
Mangroves
|
Petenes mangroves
|
Campeche, Yucatán
|
Neotropical
|
Mangroves
|
Ría Lagartos mangroves
|
Yucatán
|
Neotropical
|
Mangroves
|
Tehuantepec–El Manchón mangroves
|
Chiapas
|
Neotropical
|
Mangroves
|
Usumacinta mangroves
|
Tabasco
|
Neotropical
|
Montane grasslands and shrublands
|
Zacatonal
|
Hidalgo, Mexico, Morelos
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
|
Central American pine–oak forests
|
Chiapas
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
|
Sierra de la Laguna pine–oak forests
|
Baja California Sur
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
|
Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine–oak forests
|
Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
|
Sierra Madre del Sur pine–oak forests
|
Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Puebla
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
|
Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine–oak forests
|
Aguascalientes, Colima, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Mexico City, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Zacatecas
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
|
Bajío dry forests
|
Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacán
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
|
Balsas dry forests
|
Guerrero, Mexico, Michoacán, Morelos, Oaxaca and Puebla
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
|
Central American dry forests
|
Chiapas
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
|
Chiapas Depression dry forests
|
Chiapas
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
|
Jalisco dry forests
|
Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
|
Revillagigedo Islands dry forests
|
Colima
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
|
Sierra de la Laguna dry forests
|
Baja California Sur
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
|
Sinaloan dry forests
|
Chihuahua, Jalisco, Nayarit, Sinaloa, Sonora
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
|
Southern Pacific dry forests
|
Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
|
Veracruz dry forests
|
Veracruz
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
|
Yucatán dry forests
|
Campeche, Quintana Roo, Yucatán
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
|
Chiapas montane forests
|
Chiapas
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
|
Chimalapas montane forests
|
Chiapas, Oaxaca
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
|
Oaxacan montane forests
|
Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
|
Pantanos de Centla
|
Campeche, Chiapas, Tabasco
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
|
Petén–Veracruz moist forests
|
Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
|
Sierra de los Tuxtlas
|
Veracruz
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
|
Sierra Madre de Chiapas moist forests
|
Chiapas
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
|
Veracruz moist forests
|
Hidalgo, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Veracruz
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
|
Veracruz montane forests
|
Hidalgo, Puebla, Veracruz
|
Neotropical
|
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
|
Yucatán moist forests
|
Campeche, Quintana Roo, Yucatán
|
Freshwater ecoregions
Baja California Complex
Sinaloan Coastal Complex
Rio Bravo Complex
Lerma/Santiago Complex
Rio Panuco Complex
Balsas Complex
Pacific Central Complex
Atlantic Central Complex
Warm Temperate Northeast Pacific
Warm Temperate Northwest Atlantic
- Northern Gulf of Mexico[2]
Tropical Northwestern Atlantic
- Southern Gulf of Mexico[2]
- Western Caribbean[2]
See also
References
- Olson, D., Dinerstein, E., Canevari, P., Davidson, I., Castro, G., Morisset, V., Abell, R., and Toledo, E.; eds. (1998). Freshwater biodiversity of Latin America and the Caribbean: A conservation assessment. Biodiversity Support Program, Washington DC.
- Ricketts, Taylor H; Eric Dinerstein; David M. Olson; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (1999). Terrestrial Ecoregions of North America: a Conservation Assessment. Island Press; Washington, DC.