Protecting Wild Cat Habitat

We have had a busy past three months, putting your donations to use to patrol our network of private nature reserves and ensure adequate habitat for the Sierra Gorda’s threatened species.

Since sending our last report, we received some exciting news!  With the support of our invaluable British ally – the World Land Trust - we were able to acquire two new properties in our ongoing efforts to expand the reserves. One, a 252-hectare property, was purchased to increase the size of the Hoya Verde reserve, and the other, a 56-hectare property, will expand the Cerro Prieto reserve.  In both cases, the transactions occurred under the best circumstances, with signed purchasing contracts, receipts and neighbors that accept the boundaries. 

After concluding these purchases, we had the opportunity to identify other properties for sale adjacent to our reserves and found two of particular interest.  Not only did they stand out for their potential value to conservation, but also because they are currently threatened by logging activity.  Due to the remote locations of the properties, the timber is most likely used for the fabrication of wooden roofing shingles to be transported out using donkey or mules.  The environmental impact of this logging, including the eroded trails caused by donkey or mule traffic, can already be seen in some areas of these properties. The properties are adjacent to the extreme southwest of the Cerro Prieto reserve. They reach altitudes of 2,780 meters and are covered by diverse cloud forests dominated by Mexican white cedars.  We are in the process of finalizing the purchase of both of these biologically valuable properties.

Unfortunately, not all the news has been good news. Illegal logging was discovered by forest ranger supervisor, Miguel Flores, and program director, Roberto Pedraza, in Hoya del Hielo, one of the Biosphere Reserve’s core areas. The Federal Agency for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) was immediately notified of the transgressions, and we are doing everything possible to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to prevent further destruction of the Sierra Gorda’s invaluable forests.

In more positive news, our team of forest rangers (Leonel Espino, Abel Reséndiz, Emiliano Cárdenas, and Javier Aguillón) has been hard at work protecting the network of private reserves. Leonel Espino has carried out extra duties on his patrols, including maintaining the trails to Las Arenitas (San Francisco) and La Hierbabuena reserve, which were long due for clearing.  On his latest trip he found peccary tracks. Javier Arguillón, who is in charge of the Cerro Prieto reserve, has maintained a constant presence and everything remains in order.  Abel Reséndiz has continued his patrols monitoring the reserves Cañón del Fresno, Hoya Verde, Socabón, and Canalitas y La Tinaja and encountered no problems.

On behalf of the ecosystems, flora, and fauna who have benefitted from these activities, we would like to thank you, our donors, for supporting us. Your generosity is more important now than ever as we continue fighting for the conservation of the Sierra Gorda!

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