By Paola Velasco
A protected area or protected natural area is an area that, due to the uniqueness of its natural values, is designated as such for the purpose of protecting it. The value of these areas often extends to the ecosystem services they provide and their associated cultural diversity.
There are different types of protected areas depending on the objectives, the intensity of their need for protection, and their form of management. Protected areas are a key tool in the conservation of threatened natural heritage. Protected areas in the world currently represent 15 percent of the land surface and 7 percent of the sea. According to Article 2 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a protected area is a “geographically defined area that has been designated or regulated and is managed in order to achieve specific conservation objectives.”
The government of the State of Guanajuato has designated, according to its 2020 inventory, a total of 24 protected natural areas. With the purpose of guaranteeing the preservation and conservation of our natural heritage and ensuring the sustainable use and availability of natural resources in the state of Guanajuato, since 1997 the State Executive has been carrying out the declaration and comprehensive management of protected natural areas.
Do you know the protected natural areas in Guanajuato?
- Cerro de Arandas, Irapuato
- Cerro de los Amoles, between Moroleón and Yuriria
- Cerro del Cubilete, Silao
- Cerro del Palenque, between Purísima del Rincón and Manuel Doblado
- Cerros el Culiacán and La Gavia, between Cortazar, Celaya ,and Jaral del Progreso
- Cuenca Alta del Río Temascatio, Salamanca
- Cuenca de la Esperanza, between Guanajuato and Dolores Hidalgo
- Cuenca de la Soledad, Guanajuato
- Lago-cráter La Joya, Yuriria
- Laguna de Yuriria and surrounding zone, Yuriria
- Las Fuentes, Juventino Rosas
- Las Musas, Manuel Doblado
- Megaparque Bicentenario, Dolores Hidalgo
- Parque Metropolitano, León
- Peña Alta, San Diego de la Unión
- Pinal del Zamorano, between Tierra Blanca and San José Iturbide
- Presa la Purísima and surrounding area, Guanajuato
- Presa de Neutla and surrounding area, Comonfort
- Presa De Silva and surrounding area, Romita
- Región Volcánica Siete Luminarias, Valle de Santiago
- Sierra de Lobos, León
- Sierra de los Agustinos, Acámbaro
- Sierra de Pénjamo, Pénjamo
- Sierra Gorda Guanajuato, Xichú
Sources: Secretary of the Environment and Territorial Planning
