Ecotourism

Outside Mazatlan

Sierra Madre

The Sierra Madre! The very name conjures up images of movie sets, mine shafts and majestic, rugged mountains, perhaps with cowboys riding through. Nowhere in Mexico is it quite so easy to experience and savour the reality behind these derived images as on the drive from Mazatlan to Durango along Highway 40.

Dry Forest

The dry forest consists of trees, shrubs, and undergrowth of different heights which form a canopy of lush green growth after a rain. Some evergreens do live here, but the majority of plants life shed their leaves to retard water loss in the dry season. Many species also feature thick waxy skins, or store moisture in their fleshy leaves and stems. Columnar cacti, agaves and other succulents mingle with plants and trees normally associated with the thorn forests of mainland Mexico and some tropical species from Central America. The tropical dry forest supports a great diversity of fauna. Many of the animals have adapted to cope with the hot, arid conditions. The carnivores in this ecosystem include coyotes, kit and grey foxes, ringtails, raccoons, skunks, badger, and bobcat.

Tropical dry forests make up the majority of tropical forests on earth. Even though there is drier tropical habitat throughout the world than rainforest, this habitat is not as well known and tends to be overlooked by conservation efforts. This represents the largest extent of tropical dry forest north of the equator.