Deep within the Sierra Madre mountains of Southern Chiapas is one of the world’s most pristine and diverse natural places—300,000 fog-shrouded acres known as the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve.
This extraordinary cloud forest is home to the resplendent quetzal, spider monkey, jaguar and tapir. Hundreds of butterfly species flit among giant tree ferns, bromeliads and orchids. It is one of the few remaining unspoiled places in Mexico, and all of Latin America.
In the buffer zone surrounding the reserve, family farmers grow coffee under the shade of a forest canopy, which provides habitat to countless species of migratory songbirds—nearly 400 species of birds have been recorded in El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve — mammals and insects. In this way, the buffer zone both protects the core zones of the biosphere, and promotes sustainable commerce for the surrounding communities of farmers.