Maderas del Carmen is a biosphere reserve

Biosphere reserve

The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...

 in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila

Coahuila

Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...

.

Maderas del Carmen encompasses the Sierra del Carmen, a segment of the Sierra Madre Oriental

Sierra Madre Oriental

The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico.-Setting:Spanning the Sierra Madre Oriental runs from Coahuila south through Nuevo León, southwest Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico...

 range. The reserve includes both dry Chihuahuan Desert

Chihuahuan Desert

The Chihuahuan Desert is a desert, and an ecoregion designation, that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border in the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau, bordered on the west by the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, and overlaying northern portions of the east range, the Sierra...

 shrublands and forested sky islands

Sky Islands

Sky Islands is a 1993 Jazz album by Ramsey Lewis released on GRP Records.The album peaked at #4 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.-Track listing:-Personnel: *Tony Carpenter - Percussion, Background Vocals...

, high-elevation enclaves of Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forest

Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests

The Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forests are a subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion of northeastern and Central Mexico, extending into the state of Texas in the United States.-Setting:...

.

The reserve is home to 400 bird species and 70 mammal species, including the American Black Bear

American black bear

The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...

 (Ursus americanus), Collared Peccary

Collared Peccary

The collared peccary is a species of mammal in the family Tayassuidae that is found in North, Central, and South America. They are commonly referred to as javelina, saíno or báquiro, although these terms are also used to describe other species in the family...

 (Pecari tajacu), and Cougar (Puma concolor). Efforts are underway to reintroduce Desert Bighorn Sheep

Desert Bighorn Sheep

The Desert Bighorn Sheep is a subspecies of Bighorn Sheep that occurs in the desert Southwest regions of the United States and in the northern regions of Mexico. The trinomial of this species commemorates the American naturalist Edward William Nelson...

 (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) to the region, which have not been seen since the 1940s

A flora and fauna protection area was established in 1994. In 2001, the Mexican company Cemex

Cemex

CEMEX is the world's largest building materials supplier and third largest cement producer. Founded in Mexico in 1906, the company is based in Monterrey, Mexico...

 announced it would purchase private lands in the area for conservation. The region was designated a biosphere reserve in 2006. It is located in the municipalities of Ocampo

Ocampo, Coahuila

Ocampo is a city and seat of the municipality of Ocampo, in the north-eastern Mexican state of Coahuila. It had a population of 3,679 inhabitants in the 2010 census, representing over one-third of the municipality's population....

, Ciudad Acuña

Ciudad Acuña

Ciudad Acuña, also known simply as Acuña, is a city located in the Mexican state of Coahuila, at and a mean height above sea level of 271 meters...

, and Múzquiz.