Mexico Sierra de Huautla Ecological characteristics: The Biosphere Reserve is lo- cated in the Basin of the River Balsas and is a rich reserve of Mexican endemic species. Its rugged topography gives rise to variations in altitude ranging from 700 to 2,240 m above sea level with a wide represen- tation of ecosystems. Low deciduous forests, gallery vege- tation and Pine and Oak forests are noteworthy for their land cover. The low deciduous forests harbour a high per- centage of life forms exclusive to Mexico and the number of endemic species is higher than in other types of vegeta- tion. Nine hundred and thirty-nine species of native vascu- lar plants have been recorded out of the 3,345 reported for the State of Morelos. Relict populations of 44 species of Declaration date: 2006 butterflies, representative of a warm humid geological Surface area: 59,031 ha stage in this region are to be found here. Seventy-one spe- Administrative division: Municipalities of Amacuzac, cies of mammals, 208 species of birds, 53 species of rep- Puente de Ixtla, Jojutla, Tlaquiltenango y Tepalcingo, State tiles, 18 species of amphibians and 14 species of fish have of Morelos been recorded. Relevant species of fauna are present such as the Short-horned Baronia butterfly ( Baronia brevicornis Human activities: brevicornis ), the Beaded Lizard ( Heloderma horridum ), the Military Macaw ( Ara militaris ), the Rufus-backed Agriculture, livestock raising, silviculture and tapping of Robin ( Turdus rufopalliatus ), the Balsas Screech Owl non-woody forest resources (Otus seductus ), the Pileated Flycatcher ( Xenotriccus mexi- canus ), the Puma ( Puma concolor ), the Ocelot ( Leopardus pardalis ), the Margay ( Leopardus wiedii ), the Bobcat (Linx rufus ) and the Jaguarundi ( Herpailurus yagouaroundi ). Various species of wildlife endemic to the Balsas basin, Mesoamerica and Mexico are represented in the Sierra de Huautle Biosphere Reserve: 7 species of mammals, 34 species of birds, 28 species of reptiles and 6 species of amphibians. Contact information: David Valenzuela Galván Director RB Sierra de Huautla Centro de Educación Ambiental e Investigación Sierra de Huautla, Universidad Autónoma de Mo- relos, Av. Universidad 1001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, C.P. 62209, Morelos Mexico Tel: (777) 329 70 19 Email: [email protected] dva- [email protected] cmon- [email protected] [email protected] .