Sierra El Tigre: a remote, rugged, and wild Sky Island

Sierra El Tigre ViewThe Sierra El Tigre of northeastern Sonora is a rugged Sky Island mountain range. It covers substantial terrain – its basal area spreads out over 600 square miles. Surrounded by the Rio Bavispe valley on three sides, it is somewhat isolated from neighboring high country, except from the south where it is nearly a peninsular extension from the spine of the Sierra Madre Occidental. The Sierra El Tigre is separated from the Sierra Madre by a pass of rugged hills that rise to around 1200 to 1600 meters (INEGI, 1998).

Sierra El Tigre Location MapThe Sierra El Tigre’s altitudinal gradient and rugged topography influence its microclimates, soil types and vegetation, translating to diverse flora and fauna, as well as economic and cultural land use by human settlements (SEMARNAT). Historically, the Sierra El Tigre was one of the last places for Apache resisters to take refuge from a changing region. Apaches used the rugged terrain as protection from Mexican and U.S. Apache hunting parties into the 1930’s.

In April and May of 2008 Sky Island Alliance staff and other set out to explore the vast and unknown Sky Island of Sonora - the Sierra El Tigre - and catalog some of its species of flora and fauna. The goal in traveling to the Sierra El Tigre - one of the most extensive of the sky islands - was to complete a basic bio-geographical assessment of the area, listing species of flora and fauna present in the Sierra El Tigre and especially “Fracción Número III Sierra El Tigre” property of Francisco Tarazón, located within the limits of the Ajos-Bavispe Reserve. We also sought to determine the extent of past and present human disturbance and impact as well as the extent of wilderness character in the range. Download report below.

Peak Elevation: 2360m / 7742ft

Also see the important resource for this area: White's 1948 El Tigre/Bavispe plant/flora inventory.