Chiapas Depression dry forests

Chiapas Depression dry forests
300px Chiapas Depression dry forests in Sumidero Canyon
Ecology
Biome	Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
Geography
Area	13,900 km2 (5,400 sq mi)
Countries	Mexico (Southern) and Guatemala
Conservation
Conservation status	Critical/Threatened

The Chiapas Depression dry forests form one of the ecoregions that belong to the tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests biome, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund, in northwestern Central America.

Geography

This ecoregion is located in the central Chiapas Depression, the central depression of the eastern Sierra Madre de Chiapas, in Chiapas state of Mexico and into northwestern Guatemala.

It covers an area of around 13,900 km². It lies at an altitude of 420–800 metres (1,380–2,620 ft).

Ecology

The Chiapas Depression dry forests ecoregion has a hot, dry climate.

Its biodiversity is high, with about 980 plant species, and includes 40% of the endemic species of dry ecosystems found in Mexico. It also forms a corridor that connects two major biogeographic region, the Gulf of Mexico on the east and the Pacific in the west.

Conservation threats

The ecoregion has been seriously threatened by cattle grazing, which is the main cause of its destruction, along with the effects of logging and the expansion of the agricultural frontier.

See also

• Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests ecoregions