IUCN Management Category V (Protected Landscape)

IX (Biosphere Reserve)

Biogeographical Province 1.21.12 (Madrean-Cordilleran)

Geographical Location Situated in the south-east of the State of Jalisco and in the north-east of the State of Colima; approximately 170km from Guadalajara and 52km to the north of Manzanillo, approximately 50km from the Pacific coast. Nearest towns are Autlan, Casimiro Castillo and Minatitlan. 19°26'-19°42'N, 103°51'-104°27'W

Date and History of Establishment Established as a national biosphere reserve under federal legislation on 5 March 1987 and listed in the Diario Oficial of 23 March 1987 (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a). The site is now covered under the General Law of Environmental Equilibrium and Protection which came into force in March 1988 (SEDUE, 1989). The MAB Bureau approved its nomination as an international biosphere reserve on 27 January 1988 (Anon., n.d., a).

Area 139,577ha; core area 41,901ha (Manantlan-Las Joyas 34,521ha, El Tigre 3,385ha, Cerro Grande 3,993ha) and buffer zone 97,676ha (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a).

Land Tenure The core area is a mixture of state, community or 'ejidos', private and university/research station lands. The buffer zone lands are communal and private.

Altitude 400m-2,960m

Physical Features The reserve is situated in the transition of the Nearctic and Neotropical realms and encompasses part of the Sierra Madre del Sur, with a wide range of altitudes, climates and soils. The catchment area is large and contains a total of 18 basins each with characteristic erosive drainage patterns; only 3.5% of these have perennial flowing rivers. The main drainages are to the north, the rivers Ayuquila-Armeria, and to the south, the rivers Marabasco and Purificacion (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a; Jardel, 1989). Poor water absorption results in 45% run off of rains, causing extreme soil erosion and sediment build up in the valleys. Humidity is high, as a result of incoming sea mist, even during the dry season. The effect of tectonic and volcanic activities and erosion are notable within the reserve. There are batholiths, faults, as well as domes formed from ancient marine floors. The dominant topographic features are Cretacic (centre and west) and Cenozoic (high areas and north-west) igneous rocks which have formed a volcanic unit of mountains. There is a considerable number of rocks with different chemical compositions, a result of lava spills. Eleven different soil types and 85 different subtypes have been identified, with various substrates. Soils are not very fertile and are subject to erosion (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a).

Climate Conditions vary from warm to temperate. At an elevation of 1,950m, mean annual temperature varies between 12°C and 23°C and mean annual rainfall is 1800mm. The rainy season may last for about six months (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a).

Vegetation Eight different types of forests are present in the reserve including mesophytic, cloud, dry deciduous and semi-deciduous tropical forests. The main vegetation cover is oak Quercus, with pine-oak Pinus-Quercus and oak-pine Quercus-Pinus and Pinus-Abies forest associations appearing as altitude increases. Common pine species are Pinus douglasiana, P. duranguensis, P. herrerai, P. oocarpa and P. pseudrostrobus. There are approximately 70,000ha of mesophytic forest in the country of which 20,000ha are found within the reserve (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a). Around 40 tree species have been commercially exploited for timber (Guzman Mejia, 1985). The flora is particularly rich with 1,958 species of plants (Jardel, 1989) and some 160 species of orchids. There are seventeen endemic species, of which the primitive maize 'Teosinte' or 'Chapule' Zea diploperennis is an important new species (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a) discovered in 1977 (Iltis et al., 1979). Other important plants related to 'teosinte' are Tripsacums spp. and another wild maize Zea mays var. parviglumis (Anon., n.d., b). The genera Magnolia, Podocarpus, Trichypteris and Talauma are representatives of living fossil flora (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a). Epiphytes such as orchids, ferns, bromeliads and cacti are abundant (Anon., n.d., b). Further details of the flora can be found in Guzman Mejia (1985).

Fauna A wide variety of species is present with over 20 amphibians, 60 reptiles, 336 birds (representing 30% of all bird species in the country), 108 mammals (25% of Mexico) and 16 fishes (Sheean-Stone, 1989). Mammals include all six species of cat found in the country such as jaguar Panthera onca (V), ocelot F. pardalis (V), puma F. concolor and jaguarundi F. yaguaorundi (I). Otter Lutra longicaudis, white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus, collared peccary Tayassu tajacu, giant Mexican shrew Megasorex gigas, Collie's squirrel Sciurus colliaei and Mexican vole Microtus mexicanus neveriae are also found. Birds include military macaw Ara militaris, lilac-crested Amazon Amazona finschi, crested guan Penelope purpurascens and golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a).

Cultural Heritage The region is known by anthropologists as "Zona de Occidente" (West Zone), an area notably different to the rest of Mesoamerica. Some ceramic remnants, figurines and graves have been found but there is little other material evidence. It is conjectured that the area was inhabited by an indigenous group known as the Otomi before the Spanish conquest. Since their houses were made with roots, branches and mud, which would have long since decayed, no remains have been found. These people depended on the forest for food, clothing and shelter; they extracted soft fibres from the 'maguey' (agave) and cotton. Maize, chilli and fruits were the main crops before and after the conquest. Cattle were introduced to the area in the 18th century and became important after the revolution in 1910. A detailed anthropological study still remains to be done within the reserve (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a).

Local Human Population Approximately 32,000 people live in the Sierra de Manantlan (Anon, n.d., b), of whom around 5,000 live permanently within the buffer zone and 10,000 within the transition zone. Agriculture appears to be their main livelihood (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a). The living conditions of these people are poor and marginal. Being one of the forgotten groups in Jalisco, their land rights have been ignored by commercial timber companies and by local caciques (Anon., n.d., b). Although commercial logging is no longer permitted in the core area, there are large mounds of sawdust, several metres high, marking the sites where sawmills and villages once stood during almost 40 years of logging which began in the 1940s (Sheean-Stone, 1989); 414,987 cubic metres of timber were extracted from 1961 to 1976 (31,918 c.m. per year) (Jardel, 1989). The Sierra distributes large volumes of water into the valleys throughout the year and it is tapped by over 400,000 people living within the reserve's area of influence. 'Teosinte' Zea dipliperennis is believed to be a potential 'food of the future' as it is the only wild species found to be resistant or immune to the seven major corn viral diseases (Sheean-Stone, 1989). There are some human settlements in the transition zone, and, besides subsistence activities, major activities include agriculture (corn, beans, tomatoes, sugarcane, watermelon, mangoes), livestock grazing, timber production, extraction of wood for fuel and mining of coal or minerals. Fishing or shellfishing, recreational activities, tourist development, agroforestry projects and aquaculture are also listed in decreasing order of magnitude (Anon., n.d., a; Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a).

Visitors and Visitor Facilities Tourism occurs but is minor (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a).

Scientific Research and Facilities Long-term ecological studies and conservation projects are being undertaken on Zea diploperennis and similar species as well as on habitat, mammal and bird conservation. There is an integrated programme for basic and applied land use and site management objectives and sustainable conservation in the region (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a). Other ongoing research activities include biological surveys and collections, comparative ecology, ecological succession, ecosystem restoration, ethnobiology, fire history and effects, forest research, genetic resource management, limnology and hydrobiology, pests and diseases, resource mapping, soil studies and conservation, traditional land use systems and environmental education. Planned activities include studies on rural technology, biogeochemical cycles, cultural anthropology, hydrological cycles, rangeland management, rare and/or endangered species, soil studies and conservation, watershed management and wildlife population dynamics (Anon., n.d., a; Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a).

There is a biological research station in the core area and two additional offices on the northern border of the reserve (town of El Grullo), while a fourth is located in the remote village of Cuzalapa. Because of its extensive and growing database, and the success of its activities within the reserve, the Laboratorio Natural Las Joyas has become the most important research laboratory in western Mexico (Sheean-Stone, 1989). Approximately 10 national and 20 foreign scientists participated in research during one year (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a).

Conservation Value The biosphere reserve was established to protect an area of outstanding beauty and scientific importance and its considerable area of influence.

Conservation Management It is under long-term legal protection (Anon. n.d., b). It aims to preserve the natural ecosystems and genetic resources of the area by encouraging habitat regeneration of disturbed areas; maintaining biological diversity; protecting threatened species and by providing the legal and administrative basis for resource protection and management. Research and long-term monitoring programmes, promotion of integrated rural development, local participation, environmental education, information exchange and recreational activities are also outlined objectives. The importance of Sierra de Manantlan was highlighted by the discovery of the endemic Zea diploperennis, a disease-resistant primitive maize (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a). It is also hoped that the establishment of the area as an international biosphere reserve will prevent further abuse of the resources and will give back nominal land rights to local people (Anon. n.d., b).

A plan of operation (plan operativo) and its summary detail all activities in the reserve and in its area of influence (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a and b). The core area is under strict protection and the following activities occur or have occurred: collection of plant material, ecological observations and surveys, environmental education, long-term environmental monitoring, professional training and collection of blackberries, mushrooms, freshwater shrimp and firewood by the local population (Anon., n.d., a; Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a). An area of 1,250ha has been fenced off to safeguard against cattle and slash-and-burn cultivators (Sheean-Stone, 1989). The buffer zone has similar status as the core area although there is no information on uses or activities within it. In the transition zone, agriculture, livestock grazing, timber production, extraction of wood for fuel, mining of coal or minerals, fishing, recreational activities, tourist development, agroforestry projects and aquaculture occur (Anon., n.d., a; Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a). Forest regeneration is now taking place, with pine species recovering first followed by harwood species (Sheean-Stone, 1989).

A workshop to analyse a conservation strategy for the reserve prepared by personnel of the Laboratorio Natural Las Joyas was held during August 1989. Three planning levels were proposed: a) integral management programme, b) management plans for the reserve subunits and c) annual operative plan which will define actions and funding by official institutions (Jardel, 1989). A doctor and a veterinary surgeon are provided free to the community by the Laboratorio Natural Las Joyas. In addition, a community health clinic provides traditional remedies and advice to the community based on the indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants (Sheean-Stone, 1989).

Management Constraints Unauthorised cattle grazing and poaching occur in the core area. In the transition zone other potentially detrimental activities such as poaching, cattle ranching, hunting, industrial development and land conversions occur. Urban centres are also present. Some of these activities may well go beyond the limits established by the reserve regulations. In general, serious problems in the reserve include overgrazing by cattle throughout the whole area, forest fires, felling, soil degradation, loss of genetic resources, poaching (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a; Jardel, 1989), legal boundaries of privately owned land, illegal cultivation of marijuana (Cannabis sativa) and opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) and hunting of wildlife. In the case of cattle ranching, the situation is aggravated as the livestock usually belong to people who do not live in the area but rent the land as pastures. By excluding the cattle from core areas potential problems may occur with the inhabitants due to a loss of income (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a).

Staff Totals 67, of whom 20 are research scientists, 15 administrative personnel and 32 are technical support personnel for research.

Budget Financial support is received from national and international bodies. National institutions include the Universidad de Guadalajara, Gobierno de Jalisco, National Council for Science and Technology (CoNaCyT), Ministry of Urban Development and Ecology. International agencies include WWF-US, WWF-INT, IUCN, Nature Conservancy and Conservation International. The total budget needed in 1987 was $843,600,000 Mexican pesos (US$312,444, approximate 1990 exchange rate). Of this total, $131,500,000 (US$48,703) were required for administration; $12,420,000 (US$4,600) for planning; $37,315,000 (US$13,820) for management of natural resources; $193,908,500 (US$71,818) for research and monitoring; $16,601,700 (US$6,149) for ecodevelopment; $93,037,500 (US$34,458) for broadcasting and $256,580,000 (US$95,030) for field work (Guzman Mejia and Lopez Zavala, 1987a).

Local Addresses

Universidad de Guadalajara, Laboratorio Natural Las Joyas de la Sierra de Manantlan, Apartado Postal 1-3933, Guadalajara, Jalisco, CP 44100

References

Anon. (n.d., a). MAB Nomination - Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de Manantlan. 17 pp.

Anon. (n.d., b). La Reserva de la Biosfera de Manantlan y Laboratorio Natural Las Joyas. Universidad de Guadalajara. El Grullo, Jalisco. 9 pp.

Guzman Mejia, R. (1985). Reserva de la Biosfera de la Sierra de Manantlan, Jalisco. Estudio descriptivo. Tiempos de Ciencia 1: 10-26.

Guzman Mejia, R. and Lopez Zavala, E. (1987a). Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de Manantlan. Sintesis de Plan Operativo 1987. Universidad de Guadalajara, Laboratorio Natural Las Joyas de la Sierra de Manantlan. Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. 73 pp.

Guzman Mejia, R. and Lopez Zavala, E. (1987b). Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de Manantlan. Plan Operativo 1987. Universidad de Guadalajara, Laboratorio Natural Las Joyas de la Sierra de Manantlan. Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. 219 pp.

Iltis, H.H., Doebley, J.F., Guzman, R. and Pazy, B. (1979). Zea diploperennis (Gramineae): a new teosinte from Mexico. Science 203: 186-188.

Jardel P., E.J. (Coordinator) (1989). Estrategia para la Conservacion de la Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de Manantlan. Laboratorio Natural Las Joyas, Universidad de Guadalajara. El Grullo, Jalisco. 10 pp.

Jardel P., E.J. (Compiler) (1990). Estrategia para la Conservacion de la Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de Manantlan. Laboratorio Natural Las Joyas, Universidad de Guadalajara. El Grullo, Jalisco. 278 pp.

Secretaria de Desarrollo Urbano y Ecologia (SEDUE) (1989). Informacion basica sobre las areas naturales protegidas de Mexico. November. 82 pp.

Sheean-Stone, O. (1989). Mexico's wonder weed. WWF Reports. August/September. Pp. 9-12.

Date April 1990, updated June 1990