And how can we help them? Around us I hear dueling mountain trogons staking out breeding grounds, and a slate-throated redstart (We reach the ridge and find a glorious break in the trees. There they plant, harvest and distill 100% organic java sugarcane from altitudes as high as 4,000 feet above sea level. In fact, the forest surrounding this extinct volcano is all that’s left of the once-sprawling cloud forests of central Chiapas.At the top of a ridge, we look out over the landscape through a break in the trees, and I suddenly understand.
The Sierra Juárez is one of Oaxaca State's wettest areas and richest in forest diversity, with perhaps 2,000 of the 8,000 or more plant species that are found in the state. Most visitors to Mexico are surprised to discover the mossy pine-clad mountains of northern Oaxaca. Walking out of the Institute of Ecology in Xalapa, I’m not sure what to think about the future of this ancient and fascinating habitat. The clouds that envelope the slopes of these mountains are fed by the Gulf of Mexico, 55 kilometers (34 miles) away.
Featured in The NY Times–Commentary, Arts Workshops + Immersion Travel in Mexico Cloud forests are found in 20 states and some of the best are in Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Tamaulipas.
Looking for other options we came across Tierraventura Eco tours, although more expensive than we were initially looking for it was great to be taken so good care of. It wasn’t really rain per se.
“These species are much more plastic than we think.” She fervently believes that, given the opportunity, many cloud forest species will adapt and survive. Looking out over what used to be thousands of hectares of cloud forest, all we see is pine trees and farms.Cloud forests are unique ecosystems—throwbacks to the last ice age—that exist within a narrow band of physical and climatic conditions. Which trees will go first? It was so much better than I'd imagined!
Cloud forests might eventually follow the clouds up the mountainsides. These tiny communities cooperate in a unique ecotourism project offering simple accommodation … See Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you.Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed.Afloat the Erie Canal: A Self-Led Houseboat AdventureA Database of 5,000 Historical Cookbooks Is Now Online, and You Can Help Improve ItGet Lost in a Corn Maze That Looks Like a Microscopic 'Water Bear'Found: A Miniature Incan Llama at the Bottom of Lake TiticacaA Former CIA Chief of Disguise Shows Off a Five-Second MaskThe Conspiracy Theories and Misinterpreted Murals of Denver AirportWriter Erik Vance treks into the cloud forest near El Zapotal, Veracruz. But studies suggest that climate change in this century alone will have devastating impacts on cloud forests—especially those at the northern extent of their range here in Mexico. The lowlands, now hot and moist, became home to vast rainforests of mahogany, ramón, and sapodilla, as well as orchids, bromeliads, and avocado.But a strange thing happened. By the end of the day we felt like we had made a new friend in Eric and will tour again with Tierraventura if we have a chance and will recommend them to our friends.What a wonderful experience! Tierraventura Ecotour to Yagul and Tlacolula, Oaxaca, Mexico... and she said YES!!!
Only a few miles away, the forests are jungles, thick with tropical trees squeezed together, competing for sunlight. The view was so good in fact that we could see the snow topped summit of Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl (5636 m) off in the distance. We were hoping to see some new things, learn more about the local culture and history, and get away from the business of cities for a bit.
In many ways, Toledo and her colleagues are trying to create a recipe for recreating and maintaining cloud forests.
The demise of Arabica's birthplace would be a catastrophe for the industry.