List of ecoregions in Mexico explained

The following is a list of ecoregions in Mexico as identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). A different system of ecoregional analysis is used by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, a trilateral body linking Mexican, Canadian and United States environmental regime.

Terrestrial ecoregions

The terrestrial ecoregions of Mexico span two biogeographic realms - the Nearctic and Neotropic - which together constitute the entire biogeography of the Americas.

Veracruz is the most biodiverse state with 10 ecoregions across 5 biomes and 2 realms. Chiapas comes in a close second with 10 ecoregions across 4 biomes in the same realm. By contrast, Morelos is the least biodiverse state with just 2 ecoregions.^[1]

Realm	Biome	Ecoregion	State
Nearctic	Deserts and xeric shrublands	Baja California desert	Baja California, Baja California Sur
Nearctic	Deserts and xeric shrublands	Central Mexican matorral	Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Mexico City, Michoacán, Querétaro, Zacatecas
Nearctic	Deserts and xeric shrublands	Chihuahuan Desert	Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, Sonora, Zacatecas
Nearctic	Deserts and xeric shrublands	Gulf of California xeric scrub	Baja California, Baja California Sur
Nearctic	Deserts and xeric shrublands	Meseta Central matorral	Coahuila, Durango, Hidalgo, Nuevo León, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas
Nearctic	Deserts and xeric shrublands	Sonoran Desert	Baja California, Sinaloa, Sonora
Nearctic	Deserts and xeric shrublands	Tamaulipan matorral	Nuevo León, Tamaulipas
Nearctic	Deserts and xeric shrublands	Tamaulipan mezquital	Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas
Nearctic	Mangroves	Northern Mesoamerican Pacific Coast Mangroves	Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Sonora
Nearctic	Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub	California coastal sage and chaparral	Baja California
Nearctic	Temperate coniferous forests	Sierra Juárez and San Pedro Mártir pine–oak forests	Baja California
Nearctic	Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests	Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests	Chihuahua, Durango, Jalisco, Sonora, Zacatecas
Nearctic	Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests	Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests	Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Hidalgo, Nuevo León, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Zacatecas
Nearctic	Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests	Sonoran–Sinaloan transition subtropical dry forest	Sinaloa, Sonora
Nearctic	Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands	Tamaulipan pastizal	Tamaulipas
Neotropical	Deserts and xeric shrublands	San Lucan xeric scrub	Baja California Sur
Neotropical	Deserts and xeric shrublands	Tehuacán Valley matorral	Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala
Neotropical	Flooded grasslands and savannas	Central Mexican wetlands	Mexico, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Mexico City
Neotropical	Mangroves	Alvarado mangroves	Tamaulipas, Veracruz
Neotropical	Mangroves	Belizean Coast mangroves	Quintana Roo
Neotropical	Mangroves	Marismas Nacionales–San Blas mangroves	Nayarit, Sinaloa
Neotropical	Mangroves	Mayan Corridor mangroves	Quintana Roo
Neotropical	Mangroves	Mexican South Pacific Coast mangroves	Guerrero, Michoacán, Oaxaca
Neotropical	Mangroves	Petenes mangroves	Campeche, Yucatán
Neotropical	Mangroves	Ría Lagartos mangroves	Yucatán
Neotropical	Mangroves	Tehuantepec–El Manchón mangroves	Chiapas
Neotropical	Mangroves	Usumacinta mangroves	Tabasco
Neotropical	Montane grasslands and shrublands	Zacatonal	Hidalgo, Mexico, Morelos
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests	Central American pine–oak forests	Chiapas
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests	Sierra de la Laguna pine–oak forests	Baja California Sur
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests	Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine–oak forests	Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests	Sierra Madre del Sur pine–oak forests	Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Puebla
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests	Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine–oak forests	Aguascalientes, Colima, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Mexico City, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Zacatecas
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests	Bajío dry forests	Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacán
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests	Balsas dry forests	Guerrero, Mexico, Michoacán, Morelos, Oaxaca and Puebla
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests	Central American dry forests	Chiapas
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests	Chiapas Depression dry forests	Chiapas
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests	Jalisco dry forests	Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nayarit
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests	Revillagigedo Islands dry forests	Colima
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests	Sierra de la Laguna dry forests	Baja California Sur
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests	Sinaloan dry forests	Chihuahua, Jalisco, Nayarit, Sinaloa, Sonora
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests	Southern Pacific dry forests	Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests	Veracruz dry forests	Veracruz
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests	Yucatán dry forests	Campeche, Quintana Roo, Yucatán
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests	Chiapas montane forests	Chiapas
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests	Chimalapas montane forests	Chiapas, Oaxaca
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests	Oaxacan montane forests	Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests	Pantanos de Centla	Campeche, Chiapas, Tabasco
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests	Petén–Veracruz moist forests	Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests	Sierra de los Tuxtlas	Veracruz
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests	Sierra Madre de Chiapas moist forests	Chiapas
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests	Veracruz moist forests	Hidalgo, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Veracruz
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests	Veracruz montane forests	Hidalgo, Puebla, Veracruz
Neotropical	Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests	Yucatán moist forests	Campeche, Quintana Roo, Yucatán

Freshwater ecoregions

Baja California Complex

• Baja California

Colorado River Complex

• Colorado Delta
• Sonoran

Sinaloan Coastal Complex

• Sinaloan Coastal

Rio Bravo Complex

• Rio Bravo
• Pecos
• Guzman
• Mapimí
• Cuatro Ciénegas
• Llanos El Salado
• Conchos
• Lower Rio Bravo
• Rio San Juan
• Rio Salado

Lerma/Santiago Complex

• Santiago
• Chapala
• Lerma
• Rio Verde Headwaters

Rio Panuco Complex

• Rio Panuco

Balsas Complex

• Balsas

Pacific Central Complex

• Tehuantepec

Atlantic Central Complex

• Southern Veracruz
• Belizean Lowlands
• Catemaco
• Coatzacoalcos
• Grijalva-Usumacinta
• Yucatán

Marine ecoregions

Warm Temperate Northeast Pacific

• Southern California Bight^[2]
• Cortezian^[2]
• Magdalena Transition^[2]

Tropical East Pacific

• Revillagigedos^[2]
• Mexican Tropical Pacific^[2]
• [Clipperton]^[2] (an overseas possession of France, disputed by Mexico)
• Chiapas-Nicaragua^[2]

Warm Temperate Northwest Atlantic

• Northern Gulf of Mexico^[2]

Tropical Northwestern Atlantic

• Southern Gulf of Mexico^[2]
• Western Caribbean^[2]

See also

• List of ecoregions in the United States (WWF)
• List of ecoregions in Guatemala
• List of ecoregions in Belize

References

• Olson, D., Dinerstein, E., Canevari, P., Davidson, I., Castro, G., Morisset, V., Abell, R., and Toledo, E.; eds. (1998). Freshwater biodiversity of Latin America and the Caribbean: A conservation assessment. Biodiversity Support Program, Washington DC.
• Ricketts, Taylor H; Eric Dinerstein; David M. Olson; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (1999). Terrestrial Ecoregions of North America: a Conservation Assessment. Island Press; Washington, DC.

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Atlas of Global Conservation. 2020-11-17. maps.tnc.org.
2. Web site: Marine Ecoregions (Spalding 2007). [Map by] GEOMAR, University of Seville, Department of Human Geography. ]. Marine ecoregions . jpg . marineplan.es . 2013-09-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170212110426/http://www.marineplan.es/ES/fichas_kml/mapasfichas/ecoregions.jpg . 2017-02-12 . dead .