Balsas dry forests

Balsas dry forests
Dry forest near Apatzingán, Michoacán, Mexico
location of the Balsas dry forests ecoregion
Ecology
Realm	Neotropical
Biome	tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
Borders	List Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine-oak forests Southern Pacific dry forests Tehuacán Valley matorral Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests
Geography
Area	37,384 km2 (14,434 sq mi)
Country	Mexico
States	Guerrero, Mexico, Michoacan, Morelos, Oaxaca and Puebla
Conservation
Conservation status	Critical/endangered
Global 200	Mexican dry forests
Protected	1,451 km² (4%)[1]

The Balsas dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion located in western and central Mexico.

Geography[]

The Balsas dry forests occupy the basin of the Balsas River. The ecoregion covers an area of 62,400 square kilometers (24,100 sq mi). The Balsas Valley, and the Balsas dry forests, extend east and west between the ranges of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt to the north and the Sierra Madre del Sur to the south.^[2]

The Balsas dry forests ecoregion extends across portions of the states of:

1. Michoacán
2. Guerrero
3. Mexico (state)
4. Morelos
5. Puebla
6. Oaxaca

surrounding ecoregions[]

The surrounding mountains are home to pine-oak forests: the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests to the north and northwest, the Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests to the south, and the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine-oak forests to the east. The xeric Tehuacán Valley matorral lies to the northeast. The Balsas dry forests meet the coastal Southern Pacific dry forests where the Balsas breaks through the Sierra Madre del Sur on its way to the Pacific Ocean.^[2]

Climate[]

The climate of the Balsas dry forests is tropical and subhumid. Rainfall is less than 120 centimeters (47 inches) per year and seasonal, with a dry season that can last up to eight months.^[2]

See also[]

• List of ecoregions in Mexico

External links[]

• "Balsas dry forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
• World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Balsas dry forests". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.

References[]