The Veracruz moist forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregion in eastern Mexico.

Geography

The Veracruz moist forests cover an area of 69101 km2, occupying a portion of Mexico's Gulf Coastal Plain between the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Gulf of Mexico. The forests extend from southern Tamaulipas across northern Veracruz, eastern San Luis Potosí, and portions of eastern Hidalgo, northeastern Puebla and northern Queretaro. The Huasteca region includes much of the ecoregion. To the north, the forests transition to the dry lowland Tamaulipan mezquital and the upland Tamaulipan matorral. To the west, the Sierra Madre Oriental pine–oak forests occupy the higher elevations of the Sierra Madre Oriental. The Moctezuma River and its tributaries have carved deep canyons through the Sierra Madre, which allow moist air from the Gulf of Mexico to flow further west into the plateaus and mountains, including the Sierra Gorda, and the moist forests extend westwards along the river valleys. South of the gap where the Moctezuma River cuts through the Sierra Madre, the Veracruz montane forests and Oaxacan montane forests occupy middle slopes of the Sierra. The Veracruz dry forests separate the Veracruz moist forests from the Petén–Veracruz moist forests further south. The northernmost extension of the Veracruz moist forests occurs in the El Cielo Biosphere and the Sierra de Tamaulipas at a latitude of about 23° 20′ degrees north.

Climate

The climate of the region is tropical and humid, with rains during seven months of the year and mild variation in temperature. Average annual rainfall is 1100 - 1600 mm.

Gallery

Flora

The canopy of this ecoregion is characterized by trees reaching a height of up to 30 m, such as Mayan breadnut (Brosimum alicastrum), sapodilla (Manilkara zapota), rosadillo (Celtis monoica), Bursera simaruba, Dendropanax arboreus, and Sideroxylon capiri. The southern parts of the ecoregion feature mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), Manilkara zapota, Bernoullia flammea, and Astronium graveolens.

Fauna

Mammals: Three species of rodents are endemic to this area, the El Carrizo deer mouse (Peromyscus ochraventer) the Tamaulipan woodrat (Neotoma angustapalata), and the Jico crested tail mouse (Habromys simulatus). Spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), the northernmost representative of the New World primates range into this region, although it is an endangered species and not common. Marsupials include the common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) and Mexican mouse opossum (Marmosa mexicana). Other mammals such as the Mexican anteater (Tamandua mexicana), lowland paca (Cuniculus paca), and red brocket (Mazama americana) are known from this region. Among the carnivores are the kinkajou (Potos flavus), mustelids such as tayra (Eira barbara) and greater grison (Galictis vittata), and five cat species including jaguarondi (Herpailurus yaguarondi), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), margay (Leopardus wiedii), Puma (Puma concolor) and jaguar (Panthera onca). Just a few of the many species of bats include the elegant myotis (Myotis elegans), wrinkle-faced bat (Centurio senex), and hairy-legged vampire bat (Diphylla ecaudata).

Conservation and threats

The forests have been heavily altered by human activity, so that only a few enclaves of mature forest remain. Forests have been cleared for timber harvesting, agriculture, and grazing, and much of the original forest has been replaced with scrubland or secondary forest.

Protected areas

7.66% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas entirely or partly within the ecoregion include El Cielo, Sierra del Abra Tanchipa, Sierra Gorda, Sierra Gorda de Guanajuato, and Sierra de Tamaulipas biosphere reserves, Laguna Madre and Río Bravo Delta Flora and Fauna Protection Area, Bernal de Horcasitas, El Sótano de Las Golondrinas, and La Hoya de las Huahuas natural monuments, Río Filo-Bobos y su Entorno protected area, and Zona Protectora Forestal Vedada Cuenca Hidrográfica del Río Necaxa natural resources protection area.