El Vizcaíno
El Vizcaíno is a biosphere reserve (in Spanish: Reserva de la Biósfera El Vizcaíno ) in the center of Mexico's Baja California peninsula . It extends over an area of 25,468 km² and also includes the two coastal lagoons Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio , administratively it belongs to the municipality of Mulegé . It was named after the Spanish adventurer, sailor and soldier Sebastián Vizcaíno , who traveled to this area around 1602.
About 200 species of birds live in the reserve, and the beaches feature egg-laying areas for four endangered species of turtles, among others. a. Hawksbill sea turtle , green turtle and hybrid turtle . In winter, numerous gray whales gather in the lagoons to give birth to their calves after a long migration from the arctic waters of the Bering Sea and the Chukchi Sea . There are also over 300 prehistoric petroglyphs on the mainland .
The arid areas of the reserve are home to pronghorns , bighorn sheep , pumas and bobcats .
In 1993 the biosphere reserve with its sanctuary for whales was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as a World Heritage Site .
proof
- ^ William Riley, Laura Riley: Nature's Strongholds. The World's Great Wildlife Reserves , Princeton University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-691-12219-9
Web links
- Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
- Extensive homepage with various thematic maps (Spanish)
- Climate, flora, fauna and description of gastronomy (Spanish)
- Entry in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Directory
Heritage: Historic Center of Mexico City and Xochimilco (1987) | Pre-Columbian City and National Park of Palenque (1987) | Pre-Columbian city of Teotihuacán (1987) | Old town of Oaxaca and ruins of Monte Albán (1987) | Historic Center of Puebla (1987) | Guanajuato Historic Center and Mines (1988) | Pre-Columbian city of Chichén Itzá (1988) | Old Town of Morelia (1991) | Pre-Columbian city of El Tajín (1992) | Old town of Zacatecas (1993) | Rock carvings in the Sierra de San Francisco (1993) | Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl (1994) | Pre-Columbian city of Uxmal (1996) | Querétaro monument ensemble (1996) | Cabañas Hospice in Guadalajara (1997) | Monument area of Tlacotalpan (1998) | Archaeological sites of Paquimé in Casas Grandes (1998) | Xochicalco Archaeological Site (1999) | Historic city and fortress of Campeche (1999) | Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda (2003) | Luís Barragán's house and studio (2004) | Agave landscape and historical tequila production sites (2006) | University campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (2007) | Fortified town of San Miguel de Allende and the pilgrimage church of Jesús de Nazareno in Atotonilco (2008) | Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (2010) | Prehistoric caves of Yagul and Mitla in the Oaxaca Valley (2010) | Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque (2015)
Natural heritage: Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (1987) | El Vizcaíno lagoon - whale shelter (1993) | Islands and Protected Areas in the Gulf of California (2005) | Mariposa Monarca Biosphere Reserve (2008) | El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve (2013) | Revillagigedo Archipelago (2016)
Cultural / natural heritage: Mayan city of Calakmul and tropical rainforests in Campeche (2002)