Chimalapas, Mexico Photograph by WWF/ Jorge Lopez   Mexico: Oaxaca and Chiapas Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   800 square miles (2,100 square kilometers) -- slightly smaller than Rhode Island Relatively Stable/Intact

· Life in the Clouds of Mexico
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Life in the Clouds of Mexico

High in the mountains of the Chimalapas, the largest undisturbed cloud forests in all of Central America are bustling with life. From evergreen forests to dry shrub, the variety of habitats in this ecoregion attracts an amazing diversity of wildlife. This is the northernmost range of the resplendent quetzal. The quetzal lives in undisturbed unfragmented montane forests and is an important seed disperser. Quetzals are altitudinal migrants, and migrate to lower habitats when not breeding. Many of the plants and reptiles in this region can be found nowhere else on Earth.

Special Features

The Chimalapas Montane Forests ecoregion is a mixture of mountains, plateaus, valleys, and cliffs. The mountains are oriented in an east-west direction and are dissected by many rivers that form deep canyons. While the climate varies a lot according to altitude, summer rains throughout the ecoregion make this one of the wettest and most humid areas in Mexico.

	The Chimalapas harbor such an unusual collection of plants and animals because of their location between Central America lowland and montane forests, and the rich highlands of Oaxaca and northern Mexico.

Wild Side

With broad wings and long tails, harpy eagles perch in the tree tops in search of prey, while a northern tapir searches for fruit along well-worn forest trails below. Spider monkeys are fairly common, and gregarious. Groups will pass overhead without concern for human presence, except where hunted. At home in the trees, kinkajous use their long tails for balance as they walk along branches sniffing for insects, fruit, eggs, and honey. Because they can turn their hindfeet backward, these agile members of the racoon family are known to scamper headfirst down a tree trunk with ease. In the dry and rocky western lowlands are oaks, pines, and fig trees. The driest areas of thicket and scrub are home to cacomistle, grey fox, and Deppeās squirrel. Montezumas oropendola (of the oriole/blackbird family) make elaborate "basket like" hanging nests ö potentially in cedar ö but in large groups that ornament a single tree with 10-40 nests. And on steep mountain slopes, trees such as liquidambar and magnolia thrive. The resplendant quetzal flies through the forest, with elaborate emerald green tail plumes fluttering gracefully behind like delicate ribbons.

Cause for Concern

The Chimalapas montane forests are facing serious threats from logging and agricultural expansion. Many of these forests have almost vanished entirely. In 1998, forest fires burned almost 17,000 acres of this cloud forest. Logging is still extensive in much of the region, and plans for building a dam and a major highway threaten the largest fragments of undisturbed forests. Human presence continues to expand into the area, clearing forests for industrial development and agriculture. Many other wildlife species could share this same fate if the forests are not adequately protected.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.