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Mexico is a biodiversity hotspot! It ranks 5th in the world as far
as countries with the most species. It ranks first in the total number
of reptiles, cacti, and pines. Its home to more than 1,000 bird species,
640 reptiles, 450 mammals, 330 amphibians and more insects than you
could probably ever count. This biodiversity stems from its location between North and South America.
It was only recently that these two continents came into contact with
each other. Before that the two land masses had millions of years to
evolve entirely different creatures. Now that the two areas are merged
animals are traveling between the two. Yet, because many are restricted
to tropical locations, their migration ends in Mexico, thus, adding
to the number of species present. Mexico is our closest neighbor to the south. This biodiversity can
be easily witnessed. However, this scenario has a few problems. According
to INEGI Mexico has a deforestation rate of 1.2 million acres per year,
one of worst in the world! Plus, of the INEGI Environmental Review,
Mexico has 242 species in danger of extinction, 435 considered threatened,
244 considered rare and 84 subject to special protection. Because of this diversity and because of the threats, we have chosen
Mexico to make our expedition; to document the diversity, to examine
the potential for travel, and to show others that environmentally friendly
exploration to these areas can not only be personally rewarding but
a valuable way to help save the remaining ecosystems.
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