Bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea to the east, Mexico is rich in marine biodiversity that includes whales, dolphins, sharks, marine turtles and tropical fish. The Mesoamerican Reef, the second largest coral reef system in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, stretches for hundreds of kilometres along Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
On land, mountainous areas combine with low coastal plains and high plateaus. Here one finds such unique wildlife as: wolves, lynx, bears, jaguars, pumas, crocodiles and iguanas. Mexico is home to 8-10% of world’s terrestrial flora and fauna, including over 1,000 species of birds such as parrots, macaws, toucans and flamingoes.
Mexico’s environment, however, continues to face a variety of threats such as overexploitation of natural resources, agricultural expansion and overgrazing, water pollution, coastal development and illegal logging.