Burrera, Mexico Photograph by David Olson   Neotropical Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests   1,500 square miles (4,000 square kilometers) -- about the size of Delaware Vulnerable

· Isolated Oasis
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Isolated Oasis

In between the mountainous pine-oak forests and the dry xeric scrub of The Cape Region lies the Sierra de la Laguna Dry Forests ecoregion, a unique hotspot for biodiversity on the peninsula. The dry forests of Sierra de la Laguna are home to some 224 species of plants, half the reptiles and amphibians in the entire Cape Region, and 96 percent of the region's mammals. More than 10 percent of these species are endemic to this area. Located on a peninsula that is mostly desert, these forests are an isolated oasis where a variety of unique species have evolved in isolation.

Special Features

The Cape Region of the Baja California peninsula shows many characteristics of an island, because it originated ten million years ago as an isolated portion of land. It was not until the Pleistocene Era that this island of vegetation joined with the desert-like peninsula, and those many years of isolation led to the evolution of unique species. The region is a mix of rugged mountains, steep valleys and canyons, and vast dry plains. The part of the Cape Region that constitutes the Sierra de la Laguna Dry Forests ecoregion includes the lower portions of the mountains. The trees in this region are distinct from the pine-oak forests higher in the mountains because the trees in this region must endure a long hot season during which the majority of them loose leaves. The forest is intertwined both with the pine-oak forests at high elevations and with the xeric scrub at the lowest portions.

	Subtropical dry forests are considered to be one the most endangered of all tropical ecosystems. In Baja California Sur, the dry forests of Sierra de la Laguna are relatively intact, except for heavy grazing.

Wild Side

Red-tailed hawks soar above Mauto and Palo blanco trees, scanning the ground for pocket gophers and other small prey. During the long dry season of this ecoregion, many of the trees loose their leaves. Slithering among the rocks, the Baja California striped whipsnake hunts for skinks and small lizards. The Sierra de la Laguna skink and the Baja blue rock lizard are some of the reptiles found here. The Xantus hummingbird patiently sips nectar from vines and flowering trees. During wet years, these forests are alive with an extraordinary abundance of butterflies, including sulfers, whites, hairstreaks, and skippers.

Cause for Concern

The Cape Region of the Baja California peninsula includes three extremely fragile and valuable ecoregions: Sierra de la Laguna Dry Forests, Sierra de la Laguna Pine-Oak Forests, and San Lucan Xeric Scrub. While many parts of these ecoregions remain intact, scientists are concerned that cattle grazing and other human activities, like fire, can change the natural communities and threaten species.

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