What I think...

What I think should be done to improve human impacts, is that there should be a higher number of National Parks in the area so that they would not be in so much danger from humans. Another thing that should be done to protect the area, is for the government of Mexico should make a more legitimate punishment for those who are caught logging illegally, which is one of the top reason for deforesting in the area. Also there should be some restrictions in people settling in the areas nearest to the Belt. I think it is obvious what is needed be done, Reforestation and Protection, Protection, and more Protection.

Future Prospects...

The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt has prospects of having a flourishing future only if there is more National Park and more Reserves built to save the diversity in the forest and the huge number of endemic and invasive species that rely on the ecoregion. There are a few ways that this can be done, one being that the government of Mexico puts stricter laws on logging and where it can be done, and the other shall be done by the people of the country and states that is lies upon, by the continuance of Reforestation Projects. Thus, with the creation of certain laws and certain population morals and duties placed upon the region, it can ultimately be safe from falling in to nonexistence.The only problem that can happen for the ecoregion is the population increase around the volcanic terrain, because of the fertile soil that can be found near the volcanoes that enclose the belt, but that settlement can cause horrific problems for the region.

The graph shows that more people settle near active or dormant volcanoes, but that can only lead to disaster for the ecosystem.

Link:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1464286702000025
http://www.americanforests.org/magazine/article/reforesting-michoacan/

Protected Areas...

There are a few protected areas within the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, such as, Biosphere Reserve in Jalisco, Monterrey National Park,  and Majacla National Park; all of which are protected because of the diversity in the pine trees, with about 33 different species.

Although there are a variety of the different protected areas I am more interested in is the Hotspot of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacan which has been protected since 1986. These Monarch Butterflies are only the few species that migrate form North to South. Usually the butterflies only migrate south during the winter and back up into the North for the Summer. During the winter most migrate to Michoacan in the belt where the spend most times in the forests and on the branches and trunks of the Pine, Oak, and Firs of the forests. They also take that time in their annual migration to mate and reproduce. Therefore the reason for the protected area in Michoacan is to ensure the continued existence of the Monarch Butterfly.


Of course with any species there always seems to be some problem, in this case there are human impacts that are affecting the forests of Michoacan that directly affect the butterfly because without their natural habitat they would not survive. Presently the forests around the Monarch Biosphere Reserve is critical because of the illegal logging that goes on in these forests, which directly puts the butterfly in harms way, but in no way is the Reserve in any harm because of authorities protecting the areas. Besides authoritative protection, many people are doing there job in protecting the region by replanting trees, plants, and restoring the natural habitat as it was normally.

Citizens doing their part in the Reforestation of the  Reserve of the Monarch Butterfly and the areas around it.

Reference Link:
http://www.americanforests.org/magazine/article/reforesting-michoacan/
http://www.vivanatura.org/Monarca.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_Butterfly_Biosphere_Reserve

Human Impacts...

Like any other ecosystem or ecoregion there are some human impacts that are just inevitable, for example:

1. Logging
2. Use of land for trafficing and immigration
3. Exploitation of Endemic Tree species.
4. Burning down the lower parts of pine-oak forests
5. Removal of plant coverage that leads to erosion
6. Human Settlements
7. Argiculture Purposes
8. Roads and Highways
9. Population Density Increase

But of course some of these impacts are benefits to humans and are some time hard to stop from happening. But there are ways that people can help, so that the areas don't disappear and species won't become extinct.

In the Pins-Oak Forest Roads are built for access to logging.

Reference Links:
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Biological_diversity_in_the_Madrean_pine-oak_woodlands?topic=49597
 http://www.eoearth.org/article/Trans-Mexican_Volcanic_Belt_pine-oak_forests
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Mexican_Volcanic_Belt_pine-oak_forests

Two Hot Spots...

The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt includes two biodiversity hotspots, the Pine-Oak Forests that are located in the valleys created by the mountain ranges and volcanoes, and the Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands. Both are located near the Sierra Madre Oriental and Occidental, but of course not in teh same place, with the Woodlands high up in the mountain terrain, and the Pine-Oaks in the valleys. Both are also in close proximity to the highest peak in Mexico. The Pine-Oak Forests known for its taxonomic diversity with 370 species. It is also said to be crucial for the evolutionary process the the Pine tree. Species that are included in these forests are the Monarch Butterfly, large number of endemic birds like the grey horned owl, and many other species. The Pine-Oak forests are so important because it has high levels of endemism, and large numbers of those species are migratory species that need the area to survive.

The Pine-Oak Woodlands is more know for the 110 species of pine trees and 135 species of oak trees. Furthermore, with 525 species of birds with more than 20 endemic, 330 mammals with 6 endemic, 380 reptile species with 15 endemic, 200 species of amphibians, with 50 endemic, 80 fish species with 20 endemic, and up to 200 butterfly species with more than 45 endemic.

Both area are different, but both are similar in the ways that they bring great amounts of diversity to the Volcanic Belt. Both also find similar ground in the fact that they are both endangered areas by human impacts.

Reference Links:
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Biological_diversity_in_the_Madrean_pine-oak_woodlands?topic=49597
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Trans-Mexican_Volcanic_Belt_pine-oak_forests

Historically...

The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, also known as the Sierra Nevada to locals around the area (translated to Snowy Mountain Range), was not something that sprouted out of the ground in one day. It may be a little obvious as to how the Belt was formed, but i will explain the historical process of how it did anyways.

First, like most mountains/volcanoes around the world, the Trans-Mexican Belt is a product of tectonic plate movement and volcanic activity. With most tectonic activity there are some results form that movement, such as, earthquakes, reefs, islands, and in this case volcanoes that run across ntire countries.  During the late Miocene period, there was a great amount of 'volcanism' and tectonic plate movement that ran across Central Mexico, from Mexico City to the eastern coast of Mexico; more specifically the period from 11-7 ma. The activity that occurred during the Miocene period resulted in a numbers of mountain ranges and volcanoes that inhabit the skyline of Central Mexico.

The Belt extends across Mexico nine hundred kilometers, running through the Mexican States of Jalisco, Michoacan, and Guanajuato. The Belt also has the two greatest mountain ranges in Mexico, which are the  Seirra Madre Occidental on the west side, and to the east the Sierra Madre Oriental. Even more so, these mountain ranges meet with the series of volcanoes that make up the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The volcanoes include the Pico de Orizba (which is the highest peak in Mexico), Nevado de Colima, Nevado de Toluca, Paricutin, Popocatepetl, Iztaccihuatl, Matlalcueitl, Cofra de Perote, and Sierra Negra. Within the nine different volcanoes that make up the Belt, some are active and some are dormant, which make the lands around the volcanoes very vulnerable.

More importantly, though, it is because the number of volcanoes that create such different terrain across the Belt , that result in different climate and biodiversity; such as forests and species.

Reference Link:
 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040195199003108
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Mexican_Volcanic_Belt

Seeing With Your Own Eyes...

To better understand the range and a glimpse of how diverse this ecoregion I will talk about further in this blog I have included some images that show you the reader exactly to what scale it is. It may also help you see that the ecoregion varies in biomes as it crosses Central Mexico from East to West.

This image allows you to see the great spatial range that there is in the ecoregion.

The other three images show you that there is number of different ecosystems that exist within the ecoregion, with the notable showings of differences in tree species.

Image References:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Mexican_Volcanic_Belt
 http://www.americanforests.org/magazine/article/reforesting-michoacan/
 http://www.eoearth.org/article/Trans-Mexican_Volcanic_Belt_pine-oak_forests
 http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/mesoamerican_pineoak_forests.cfm

Intro to My Ecosystem...

Located in Central Mexico spanning from East to West, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt Pine-Oak Forests is a must see ecoregion. The belt is home to the tallest mountain ranges in Mexico, and is also one the most diverse forests on this side of the world, both in plant diversity and in species diversity. The diversity is not random, but caused by the diverse biomes that span the ecoregion, from Temperate to Tropical regions. It also spans from many states in the country of Mexico, including Michoacan, Nayarit, Jalisco, Puebla, and Guanajuato. More specifics on the ecosystem would be poster later, but to get a better understanding of the area I speak of I included a picture in this post.

Info for this post: http://www.eoearth.org/article/Trans-Mexican_Volcanic_Belt_pine-oak_forests