La Primavera Biosphere Reserve, also known as La Primavera Flora and Fauna Protection Area, is a protected natural area in western

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. It is located in the state of

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

, immediately west of the city of

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

Geography

La Primavera has an area of 305 km². The terrain is rugged, ranging from 1400 to 2200 meters elevation. the reserve includes the Sierra la Primavera, an inactive volcanic region. The Sierra is relatively geologically recent, forming in a series of eruptions between 120,000 and 20,000 years ago.

There are numerous springs and 20 permanent streams. Some drain north or east into the

Río Grande de Santiago The Río Grande de Santiago, or Santiago River, is a river in western Mexico. It flows westwards from Lake Chapala via Ocotlán through the states of Jalisco and Nayarit to empty into the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the longest rivers in Mexic ...

, which lies to the north, and flow westwards to form the headwaters of the

Ameca River The Ameca River () is a river of some in length in western Mexico. It originates in the Bosque de la Primavera in Jalisco, 23 km to the west of state capital Guadalajara; flows through the city of Ameca; and then forms the boundary betw ...

. The climate is tropical, warm, and subhumid, with an annual mean temperature of 21º C. Mean annual rainfall is 980 mm.

Flora and fauna

The natural vegetation is

pine–oak forest Pine–oak forest, pine–oak woodland, or oak–pine forest is a group of similar of ecosystems, primarily found in North and Central America. These areas are dominated by pine and oak trees. Under the Forest-Range Environmental Study Ecosystem ...

. More than 772 plant species have been recorded in the reserve, including 80% of the orchid species reported in Jalisco. Stream valleys in the western portion of the reserve, which form the headwaters of the

, are home are patches of relict

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, Montane forest, montane, Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist forest characteri ...

. Typical trees include ''Clethra rosei,

Ficus insipida ''Ficus insipida'' is a common tropical tree in the fig genus of the family Moraceae growing in forest habitats along rivers. It ranges from Mexico to northern South America. Taxonomy The tree was described in 1806 under the scientific name '' ...

, Ilex dugesii,

Morella cerifera ''Myrica cerifera'' is an evergreen tree or large shrub native to North and Central America and the Caribbean. Its common names include southern wax myrtle, southern bayberry, candleberry, bayberry tree, and tallow shrub. It has uses in the garde ...

, Persea hintonii,

Prunus serotina ''Prunus serotina'', commonly called black cherry,World Economic Plants: A Standard Reference, Second Edition'. CRC Press; 19 April 2016. . p. 833–. wild black cherry, rum cherry, or mountain black cherry, is a deciduous tree or shrub in the r ...

'' subsp. ''capuli,

Quercus magnoliifolia ''Quercus magnoliifolia'', also known as encino amarillo, encino avellano, encino bermejo, encino blanco, encino napis, encino prieto, and roble, is a Mexican species of oak. It is widespread along the Pacific Coast of Mexico from Sinaloa to ...

Quercus confertifolia ''Quercus confertifolia'', synonym ''Quercus gentryi'', is a species of flowering plant in the family Fagaceae, native to northern and southwestern Mexico. Description Under the synonym ''Quercus gentryi'', the species was described as a short ...

'' (syn. ''Quercus gentryi''), and ''

Salix taxifolia ''Salix taxifolia'', the yewleaf or yew-leaf willow, is a species of willow native to all of southern Mexico, also Pacific Coast regions, north to Sinaloa, and in the south Pacific Coast of Mexico into central Guatemala. Scattered populations are ...

''. An endemic species of poplar, ''

Populus primaveralepensis ''Populus'' is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar (), aspen, and cottonwood. The we ...

'', was recently discovered growing in these stream valleys. 205 resident and migratory bird species have been recorded in the reserve."La Primavera Biosphere Reserve, Mexico". UNESCO, December 2018. Accessed 8 September 2021

/ref> Native birds include the

lesser roadrunner The lesser roadrunner (''Geococcyx velox'') is a large, long-legged bird that is a member of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. It is found in Mesoamerica. Its Latin name means "swift earth-cuckoo". Along with the greater roadrunner, it is one of two ...

(''Geococcyx velox''), berylline hummingbird (''Saucerottia beryllina''),

russet-crowned motmot The russet-crowned motmot (''Momotus mexicanus'') is a species of motmot native to north-western Mexico and central Guatemala. It is a year-round resident of the tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests and scrubland. The russet-crowned mot ...

(''Momotus mexicanus''),

black-throated magpie-jay The black-throated magpie-jay (''Cyanocorax colliei'') is a strikingly long-tailed magpie-jay of northwestern Mexico. Taxonomy The black-throated magpie-jay was formally described in 1829 by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors from a s ...

(''Calocitta colliei''),

spotted wren The spotted wren (''Campylorhynchus gularis'') is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is endemic to Mexico. Taxonomy and systematics The spotted wren has sometimes been considered conspecific with Boucard's wren (''Campylorhync ...

(''Campylorhynchus gularis''),

brown-backed solitaire The brown-backed solitaire (''Myadestes occidentalis'') is considered a thrush and is placed in the family Turdidae. It is a medium-sized bird about 21 centimeters (8 inches) long. It is a mostly grayish bird with brown flight feathers (hence th ...

(''Myadestes occidentalis''),

blue mockingbird The blue mockingbird (''Melanotis caerulescens'') is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is endemic to Mexico, but has occurred as a vagrant in the southern United States. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, sub ...

(''Melanotis caerulescens''),

collared towhee The collared towhee (''Pipilo ocai'') is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae that is endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist pine-oak montane forest and heavily degraded former forest. It occupies mou ...

(''Pipilo ocai''),

blue bunting The blue bunting (''Cyanocompsa parellina'') is a species of passerine in the family Cardinalidae, the cardinals or cardinal grosbeaks. It is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Taxonomy and systematics Fr ...

(''Cyanocompsa parellina''), black-vented oriole (''Icterus wagleri''), and

rusty-crowned ground sparrow The rusty-crowned ground sparrow (''Melozone kieneri'') is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae that is endemic to western and southwestern Mexico. The species occurs both in the Sierra Madre Occidental range, and the Cordillera Neovolc ...

(''Melozone kieneri''). 73 native mammal species have been recorded in the reserve, as have 49 species of reptiles and amphibians.

Conservation

La Primavera was designated a forest protection area and wildlife refuge in 1980 by presidential decree. It was redesignated a flora and fauna protection area by the Mexican government in 2000. In 2006 it was designated a

biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

. Guadalajara is Mexico's third-largest metropolitan area, and it extends to the reserve. The reserve is one of residents' favorite recreational areas. There are 12 trails in the reserve, and 8 educational camps. 1560 ha of the reserve is dedicated to public use and recreational activities. The reserve's forests help moderate Guadalajara's climate, improve air quality, and absorb

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

and other airborne pollutants. The forests also improve water quality in the region's rivers, recharge groundwater basins, and reduce flooding risk in communities downstream.

References

{{commons cat Biosphere reserves of Mexico Protected areas of Jalisco Protected areas of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt Flora and fauna protection areas of Mexico Bajío dry forests