Ecoregions: Arizona/New Mexico Mountains, Arizona/New Mexico Plateau, Chihuahuan Deserts, Colorado Plateau, Madrean Archipelago, Southern Rockies, Southwestern Tablelands, Western High Plains
Ecoregions
New Mexico has a diverse selection of ecoregions from alpine forests in the Southern Rockies, the high desert mountains and the lava fields to the southern Chihuahuan deserts.
Arizona/New Mexico Mountains - These are distinguished from neighboring mountainous ecoregions by their lower elevations and associated vegetation indicative of drier, warmer environments, due in part to the region’s more southerly location. Forests of spruce, fir, and Douglas-fir, common in the Southern Rockies and the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains, are only found in limited areas at the highest elevations in this region. These mountains are the northern extent of some Mexican plant and animal species. Surrounded by deserts or grasslands, these mountains in New Mexico can be considered bio-geographical islands.
Arizona/New Mexico Plateau - Represents a large transitional region between the drier shrub lands and wooded higher relief tablelands extends across northern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and into Colorado in the San Luis Valley.
Chihuahuan Desert - This desertic ecoregion comprises broad basins and valleys bordered by sloping alluvial fans and terraces. Isolated mesas and mountains are located in the central and western parts of the region.
Colorado Plateau - Rugged table and topography is typical of the Colorado Plateaus ecoregion. Canyons, mesas, plateaus, and mountains expose a long geologic history of rock formations. Precipitous side-walls mark abrupt changes in local relief, often of 1000 to 2000 feet or more.
Madrean Archipelago - Known as the Sky Islands in the United States, this is a region of basins and ranges with medium to high local relief, typically 3000 to 5000 feet.
Southern Rockies - Composed of high elevation, steep, rugged mountains. Although coniferous forests cover much of the region, as in most of the mountainous regions in the western United States, vegetation, as well as soil and land use, follows a pattern of elevational banding. The highest elevations have alpine characteristics.
Southwestern Tablelands - Much of this region is in sub-humid grassland and semiarid rangeland. The eastern boundary represents a transition from the more extensive cropland within the High Plains to the generally more rugged and less arable land within the Southwestern Tablelands ecoregion.
Western High Plains - Much of the High Plains is characterized by smooth to slightly irregular plains with a high percentage of cropland.
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