Mexico is one of the world’s most species-rich countries, with documented diversity spanning mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, invertebrates, plants and fungi. Its conservation footprint is also extensive: Mexico’s federal protected-area system contained 232 areas covering 98,000,719 hectares in September 2024. The figures below combine species compilations, endemicity tables, federal conservation statistics and environmental profiles; their dates and measurement scopes differ, so each period is identified.
Contents
- Documented species richness
- Endemic species across Mexican taxa
- Federal protected areas
- Ecosystems and vegetation under protection
- Islands, coasts and marine biodiversity
- Wetlands and biodiversity destinations
Documented species richness
The national species compilation presented by ¿Cuántas especies hay? uses a 2008 compilation; the page was consulted in 2018. It reports Mexico’s documented species alongside worldwide comparison totals. These are documented counts from that compilation, not a current census or a forecast.
| Major group | Mexico | Worldwide comparison | Mexico share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mammals | 535 | 4,381 | 12.21% |
| Birds | 1,096 | 9,271 | 11.82% |
| Reptiles | 804 | 8,238 | 9.76% |
| Frogs and toads | 361 | 4,780 | 7.55% |
| Fish | 2,692 | 27,977 | 9.62% |
| Insects | 47,853 | 915,350 | 5.23% |
| Crabs and shrimp | 5,387 | 44,920 | 11.99% |
| Snails, clams and octopuses | 4,100 | 93,195 | 4.40% |
The same source records 5,579 documented spider and scorpion species, equal to 6.00% of the 92,909 species in its worldwide comparison. It lists 585 centipede and millipede species, or 3.85% of 15,200 worldwide, plus 318 jellyfish and coral species, or 3.18% of 10,000. Sponge diversity reaches 268 documented species, representing 4.87% of 5,500 worldwide.
Plant and fungal groups are also substantial. Mexico has 19,065 documented magnolia and daisy species, representing 9.56% of 199,350 worldwide. The compilation lists 4,726 palm and grass species, or 7.97% of 59,300, and 7,000 fungi species, or 10.00% of 70,000. Because the source groups organisms differently across categories, these figures should be read as separate source classifications rather than added into one grand total.
Endemic species across Mexican taxa
Endemicity measures the portion of a listed group found only in the relevant country or geographic area. The Especies endémicas page reports these figures from a 2008 compilation, except for the monocotyledon estimate, which is a 2012 botanical estimate reported on the page. The counts are especially notable among reptiles, amphibians, monocotyledon plants and several invertebrate groups.
Among 864 documented reptiles in this endemicity table, 493 are endemic, or 57.0%. The table reports 174 endemic amphibian species among 361 documented species, or 48.2%. For monocotyledons, the 2012 botanical estimate gives 2,010 endemic species among 4,542 documented species, or 44.2%.
Spider and scorpion diversity includes 1,759 endemic species among 5,579 documented species, or 31.5%. Mammals include 164 endemic species among 535 documented species, or 30.7%. Among the 268 documented sponge species, 80 are endemic, or 29.9%.
The beetle total in the endemicity table is 13,195 documented species, including 2,564 endemic species, or 19.4%. Fish include 271 endemic species among 2,692 documented species, or 10.1%. Birds include 125 endemic species among 1,096 documented species, or 11.4%, while corals include 18 endemic species among 139 documented species, or 12.9%.
These endemicity figures use the group definitions and denominators reported by the source. For example, the reptile denominator in the endemicity table is 864, whereas the separate species-richness compilation reports 804 reptiles. The two figures should not be treated as a contradiction or silently combined: they come from different source tables and scopes.
Federal protected areas
The September 2024 Numeralia sobre las Áreas Naturales Protegidas de México reports 232 federal ANP covering 98,000,719 hectares. Of that footprint, 23,096,563.19 hectares are terrestrial, equal to 11.76% of Mexico’s terrestrial national surface. Marine federal ANP account for 74,904,155.39 hectares, equal to 23.78% of Mexico’s marine territory.
The federal system is not evenly distributed among designation types. Biosphere Reserves account for 64,033,711 hectares across 48 areas, or 65.34% of the federal ANP total. National Parks cover 21,679,414 hectares across 79 areas, or 22.12%. Flora and Fauna Protection Areas cover 7,530,550 hectares across 57 areas, or 7.68%.
Natural Resources Protection Areas cover 4,585,287 hectares across 15 areas, or 4.68%. Sanctuaries cover 155,488 hectares across 28 areas, or 0.16%, while five Natural Monuments cover 16,269 hectares, or 0.02%. The percentages here are shares of the federal ANP total reported by CONANP, not percentages of Mexico’s entire land or marine area.
| Federal designation | Areas | Hectares | Share of federal ANP total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biosphere Reserves | 48 | 64,033,711 | 65.34% |
| National Parks | 79 | 21,679,414 | 22.12% |
| Flora and Fauna Protection Areas | 57 | 7,530,550 | 7.68% |
| Natural Resources Protection Areas | 15 | 4,585,287 | 4.68% |
| Sanctuaries | 28 | 155,488 | 0.16% |
| Natural Monuments | 5 | 16,269 | 0.02% |
Islands are a significant part of this conservation network. Twenty-eight federal ANP contained 1,418 islands totaling 560,147 hectares in September 2024. That area equals 75.89% of Mexico’s national insular territory.
Ecosystems and vegetation under protection
CONANP’s September 2024 vegetation estimates, based on INEGI Serie VII, show the variety of habitats inside federal ANP. Xerophytic scrub is the largest listed vegetation category at 8,007,039 hectares, equal to 8.17% of the federal ANP total. Oak forest covers 3,228,242.34 hectares, or 3.29%, while conifer forest covers 3,022,203.56 hectares, or 3.08%.
Evergreen rainforest accounts for 2,903,428.73 hectares, or 2.96% of the federal ANP total. Deciduous rainforest covers 2,541,645.28 hectares, or 2.59%. Hydrophytic vegetation covers 994,973.15 hectares, or 1.02%, and mangrove covers 472,274 hectares, or 0.48%. Cloud mountain forest covers 284,669 hectares, or 0.29%.
These percentages describe the area of each vegetation estimate relative to the federal ANP total. They are not estimates of the share of Mexico’s entire national territory occupied by each ecosystem, and the vegetation figures are explicitly based on INEGI Serie VII.
Mexico’s dry forests add an important species-level perspective. The current Selvas secas ecosystem profile reports around 6,000 plant species in dry forests, with almost 40% endemic to these ecosystems. Its climate profile reports annual precipitation of 300–1,200 millimeters and five to eight dry months from December to May. Those climate values describe the profile’s dry-forest conditions, not a single nationwide average.
Islands, coasts and marine biodiversity
Mexico has more than 11,000 kilometers of coastline, and its territorial waters cover 231,813 square kilometers, according to the environmental context in SECCIÓN I: Introducción, published in 2017. The same source records 1,616 fish species in Mexico’s coastal marine biodiversity.
Fish endemism varies by marine region in the source’s estimates. The Gulf of California has estimated fish endemism of 20%. The Caribbean, Gulf of Tehuantepec and northern Gulf of Mexico regions each fall within a reported 15% estimate. These are regional estimates from the 2017 environmental context, not a single national marine-endemism rate.
The 500 principal Mexican islands and islets contain 7% of the country’s vertebrate and plant species, according to the same source. They harbor 200 endemic vertebrate species and 110 endemic plant species. This island statistic complements the federal ANP figure: one describes species represented across principal islands and islets, while the other describes islands contained within 28 federal protected areas.
Wetlands and biodiversity destinations
The current CONANP list of Humedales Mexicanos de importancia internacional identifies Ramsar-listed wetland sites and their areas. The dates below are designation years shown with the current list, so a site’s designation date should not be confused with the date of the current area listing.
Sian Ka’an in Quintana Roo, designated in 2003, covers 652,193 hectares. Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto in Baja California Sur, designated in 2004, covers 206,580.75 hectares. Marismas Nacionales, spanning Sinaloa and Nayarit and designated in 1995, covers 200,000 hectares.
Other listed destinations are smaller but highly specific coastal and island sites. Parque Nacional Arrecife de Cozumel in Quintana Roo, designated in 2005, covers 11,987 hectares. Parque Nacional Cabo Pulmo in Baja California Sur, designated in 2008, covers 7,100.18 hectares. Parque Nacional Isla Contoy in Quintana Roo, designated in 2003, covers 5,126 hectares.
Together, these wetland statistics show why biodiversity planning in Mexico spans forests, scrublands, cloud forests, mangroves, islands, reefs and open marine territory. For travelers, the measurement period and designation matter: a Ramsar listing identifies international wetland importance, while the federal ANP numeralia measures Mexico’s protected-area system as reported in September 2024.