Sierra La Laguna Bio. Res., Baja, Mexico Photograph by Gerardo Ceballos/SEMARNAP   Southern North America: Southern tip of Baja California in western Mexico Tropical and Subtropical Coniferous Forests   400 square miles (1,100 square kilometers) -- about half the size of Rhode Island Vulnerable

· At the Top of the Cape Region
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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At the Top of the Cape Region

On the mountaintops of the Cape Region of Mexico, a unique forest of pine and oak trees is bustling with life. As you move down the steep slopes, the dominant pine trees gradually give way to woodlands of oaks and shrubs. These forests are an oasis for some 224 species of plants, along with a variety of reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. This ecoregion is also a center of bird diversity, as half of the birds breeding on this part of the Baja California peninsula do so only in pine-oak forests. Because these forests are high in the mountains in places that are difficult for people to reach, they still support a good habitat for wildlife.

Special Features

The Cape Region of the Baja California peninsula shows many characteristics of an island because it formed ten million years ago as an isolated portion of land. It was not until after the Pleistocene that this island of vegetation joined with the desert-like peninsula that is now Baja, and those many years of isolation led to the evolution of many unique species. The region is a mix of rugged mountains, steep valleys and canyons, and a high plateau. The part of the Cape Region that constitutes the Sierra de la Laguna Pine-Oak Forests ecoregion includes the highest portions of the mountains. In contrast to the surrounding deserts, this ecoregion is the wettest area in the state of Baja California Sur.

	Acorn woodpeckers live in family groups and store acorns in communal storage trees. They peck holes in the trunks and branches and hammer the acorns into place.

Wild Side

In the middle of an enormous desert, the pine and oak forests of Sierra de la Laguna are an extraordinary oasis for wildlife. Beneath large oaks and pines, the forest floors are carpeted with an extraordinary abundance of mosses and lichens. A pinyon mouse scurries along in search of pinenuts, while the Sierra de la Laguna ornate shrew hunts for insects. From the tiny Xantus hummingbird to the giant golden eagles that soar majestically overhead, the birds of this ecoregion find safe places to rear their young and spend the winter. Southern alligator lizards and yucca night lizards find refuge in the rocky terrain, as well as the endemic Montserrat fence lizard, Laguna skink, and the nearly legless Bipes biporous lizard.

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 could put the entire region in jeopardy. The dry habitats of the Cape Region are sensitive to overgrazing and fires.

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