Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 1979, in Mexico. Montes Azules is located in the Selva Lacandona region in the state of Chiapas in south-east Mexico, between the Lacantún and Lacanjá rivers. It comprises 331,200 ha within the forestry protection area of the Lacandona Forest, designated in 1978. It is one of the largest humid tropical forests in Mexico and Central America, with areas of pine forest at higher altitudes and montane rainforest. The reserve’s main challenge is to improve living conditions for local communities, especially Indigenous peoples, by promoting ecologically sustainable food production, agroforestry and small-scale cattle farming while respecting local traditions and practices.