Up on the highlands of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas - a mountainous chain of steeps and pinnacles surpassing the 2,000 meters, surrounded by wide and numerous valleys that reach 1,000 meters above sea level, covered on the top by a soft mist which vanishes with torrential rains, is El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve.
A range of altitudes, a climate varying from the dry-hot on the lowlands and cold and humid on the western slope and some parts of the highlands, different types of soil and a very particular geological history that converted this place into a refuge during the Pleistocene, are some factors that have influenced the development of numerous vegetal communities upholding a high diversity.
Only in Cerro Ovando exist 800 species of plants registered. In an area of almost 120000 hectares, ten different kinds of vegetation can be found; Tropical Deciduous Forest and Montane Rainforest on the lowlands, followed by Pine-Oak Forest and on the highest ridge, one of the largest extensions in the country of Evergreen Cloud Forest.
This forestÇs canopy is very dense, most part of the year is covered by a thick mist. Gigantic ferns surround big, evergreen trees covered by lichens, orchids and bromeliads that resemble pendant gardens. In the middle of this environment was found one of the tallest trees of the country: an elm tree (Ulmus mexicana), 90 meters high.
On each of these ecosystems, a great number of animal species can be found like the resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), cabanis' tanager (Tangara cabanisi), the exotic horned guan (Oreophasis derbianus), the tapir (Tapirus bairdii), and the jaguar (Panthera onca); all of them on their way to extinction.
This area was an important passage for communication and commerce during Prehispanic times. Products like cacao, quetzal feathers, jade and copal resins, were part of a commercial exchange between the south and the rest of Mesoamerica and within the Pacific Coast and the center of the country. At the end of XVI century, along with the Conquer, the first plantation was established. Later on, came cattle raising. Coffee arrived to the region at the end of XIX century, when some European investors, invited by the government, installed the first plantation. In this area (considered as the stock place of cacao), the prevailing climatic conditions favored the new crops; so coffee plantations increased in number and size, provoking a big migration of Indians, from the highlands of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guatemala.
Economical success of investors grew parallel to ecological destruction. On the forties, the research works of Prof. Miguel Alvarez del Toro put on evidence the need to conserve this site. In 1972, the first policies emerged and the Natural History Institute of Chiapas took the direction on their hands.
In 1990, El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve was formally established by the federal government and the different zones were precisely delimited. Biological diversity in this unique place is as important as its fragility. Ridges allow water to fall transformed in rain when humid winds come from the Pacific Coast. This immense amount of water is retained thanks to a dense vegetation, thus feeding nine rivers that supply more than twenty towns, included a big area of coffee plantations and La Angostura dam. Finally, in 1993 El Triunfo was included in the MAB-UNESCO Programme for Biosphere Reserves.
Destruction of forests has had serious consequences, due to the steep terrain that reaches up to 60 degrees. A big amount of water running over the soil, produces a strong erosion. The conservation of forests in this region is very important for Chiapas and the whole country.
The horned guan (Oreophasis derbianus) belongs to a group of birds that can only be found in the American Continent. It inhabits exclusively in cloud forests of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas and Guatemala.
In the middle of misty El Triunfo Cloud Forest, sparkles the blue morpho, one of the five species of butterflies belonging to this genus, that live in Mexico.
Considered as the most beautiful bird of America, the resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), was regarded in ancient Mesoamerican culture as the fertility symbol. Quetzal's feathers worth more than gold and death was the punishment for those who dared to hunt them. Their iridescent plumage varies according to the light incidence, acquiring golden, blue and green emerald tones.
These extremely humid environments will favor the abundance of arborescent ferns, genus Cyathea, some can reach up to 15 meters tall.
The yaguaroundi (Herpailurus yaguorundi) is one of the five felids inhabiting the tropical forests of Mexico. Small in size, they spend part of their lives on the top of the trees. Their soft fur that varies in color from black to reddish brown, lacks any commercial value, evading poachers and hunters.
The "turipache de montaña" (Corytophanes hernandezii) stays still in the underforest, camouflaging to trap insects for lunch.
This is a shy animal, difficult to see, "temazate" (Mazama americana) hides during the day and comes out as the evening falls down. This is the smallest deer of the American Continent, easy to identify for its shorter front legs, and reddish color.
El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve is divided in five core zones measuring more than 25,000 hectares. A big buffer zone that surrounds the core zones has approximately 90,000 hectares. Management regulations indicate that all kinds of productive or extractive activities are forbidden in the core zones since they are dedicated to conservation and research programs. The buffer zone was established to provide protection to the core zones and to promote sustainable activities in the comunities that are into the buffer zone.
Date of establishment: March 13, 1990
Area: 119,177 hectares
State: Chiapas
Municalities: Acacoyagua, Angel Albino Corzo, La Concordia, Mapastepec, Villa Corzo, Pijijiapan, Siltepec
Access route: Tuxtla Guti³rrez-Angel Albino Corzo Road
Geographical 15Å 09' 10'' N and 15Å 57' 02'' N localization: 192Å 34' 04'' W and 93Å 12' 42'' W
Average temperature: Between 12 Å - 18Å
Population: The reserve has 12,000 inhabitants, 37 ejidos and a considerable floating population which increases during coffee harvesting.
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