Home >Sian Ka'an, Mexico

Sian Ka'an, Mexico is approximately 1.3 million acres in size and spans over 120 kilometers from north to south, which comprises almost one third of the Caribbean coast of Mexico. In 1994 an area of over 200,000 acres to the south of the Reserve was named a protected area of Flora and Fauna of Uaymil, increasing the continuous area of protected land.

Sian Ka'an, Mexico Facts

• Largest protected area in the Mexican Caribbean (approximately 1.3 million acres)
• Established January 20th 1986 as part of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program
• UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Unique for its geography and wetlands
• 23 known archeological sites (with relics dating up to 2,300 years old)
• 103 known mammal species
• 336 known bird species
• Nesting ground for many species of wading birds
• Annual rainfall between 44 and 48 inches
• Important nesting site for two endangered sea turtle species
• Believed to be inhabited in the Pre-Classic and Classic Periods in the chieftanships of Cohuah and Uaymil
• Currently home to over 2,000 inhabitants

The Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve was established on the 20th of January 1986 by presidential decree and it became a part of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) program the same year. In 1987 the Sian Ka'an, Mexico was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As part of the MAB program, Sian Ka’an faces the greatest challenge of preservation: to find a way to integrate human activities without compromising other forms of life contained within its boundaries.