Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve
Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve is a biosphere reserve in Mexico. It is located on the western Yucatán Peninsula in the state of Campeche. The reserve is home to extensive mangrove wetlands, and rich in birds and other wildlife.
Geography
The reserve covers an area of. It is bounded on the west by the Gulf of Mexico. It adjoins Ría Celestun Biosphere Reserve on the north. The city of Campeche is south of the reserve.The reserve includes coastal beaches and dunes, which enclose lagoons and wetlands. There are low uplands in the eastern portion of the reserve.
Ecology
The reserve protects extensive mangrove wetlands, part of a mangrove corridor known as the Petenes mangroves which extends along the western shore of the Yucatán Peninsula. Freshwater from the peninsula's extensive aquifer has outlets in the reserve, mixing with the salt waters of the Gulf of Mexico in the wetlands.Button mangrove and Campeche wood are notable mangrove species. There are seagrass beds offshore and in the lagoons, and tropical dry forests in the uplands.
The reserve is home to large and diverse populations of migratory and resident birds, with over 300 species identified. 56% of species are year-round residents, 43% are seasonal, and 1% are occasional visitors. Bird species present include the American flamingo, jabiru, wood stork, Muscovy duck, snail kite, orange oriole, hooded oriole, least tern, crane hawk, common black hawk, black hawk-eagle, Yucatan amazon, bat falcon, ferruginous pygmy owl, least bittern, reddish egret, blue-winged teal, northern pintail, American wigeon, lesser scaup, king vulture, and hen harrier.
The reserve is designated an Important bird area.
Conservation
The area was designated a biosphere reserve in 1999 by the Mexican government. In 2004 it was designated a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.In 2008 the Mexican government nominated the Los Petenes and adjacent Ría Celestún reserves as a World Heritage Site.