Los Volcanes Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 2010, in Mexico. Set in the central and eastern sector of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, Los Volcanes Biosphere Reserve covers the southern Sierra Nevada and the Sierra de Río Frío east of Mexico City. The landscape rises to 5,452 metres and is dominated by the volcanoes Iztaccíhuatl, Popocatépetl, Telapón and Tláloc. The site includes the long-protected Izta-Popo Zoquiapan National Park and retains pockets of glacial ice and alpine meadows on Iztaccíhuatl. The reserve’s purpose is to conserve this high-altitude transition landscape while safeguarding water and other ecosystem services for millions of people living downstream, through community-led restoration, sustainable livelihoods and research-driven management.