Sierra de Alamos - Rio Cuchujaqui Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 2007, in Mexico. The protected area of Sierra de Álamos–Río Cuchujaqui lies within the geographical provinces of the Western Sierra Madre and the Northwest Coastal Plain. It consists of an elevational gradient of vegetation, from tropical deciduous forest, also called lowland deciduous forest, to the Sierra Madre evergreen forest, or pine–oak forest. The Sierra de Álamos runs parallel to the coast of the Pacific Ocean and is crossed by numerous deep gullies excavated by rivers that flow into the Pacific. This is the case of the Cuchujaqui River, a tributary of the Río Fuerte. The area hosts key species such as the puma (Puma concolor), jaguar (Panthera onca) and ocelot (Leopardus pardalis). There is abundant riparian forest of Taxodium mucronatum, as well as a wide range of soils and geology. The region of Álamos is known for the confluence between the northern limits of many tropical species.