The Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve is on the Pacific coast, 120 kilometres from the port city of Manzanillo. It features marshes and intertidal estuaries, rivers and dry forest vegetation. This type of tropical forest has been severely affected by deforestation in Mesoamerica, so the preserved conditions make the Site an important reference, as it is the only Reserve in Mexico that protects such environments on the Pacific coast. Its variety of habitats has fostered biodiversity, including over 1,150 plant species, 87 reptiles and amphibians, 265 bird species and 70 mammal species. Notable endangered plants include the copal (Bursera palaciosii), the guayacan (Guaiacum coulteri) and the papelillo tree (Jatropha chamelensis). It is a nesting location for the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the only place where the Magdelena wood rat (Xenomys nelsoni) is found. A civil society organization has developed sea turtle conservation programmes, through which 25,000 nests have been monitored and 1,500,000 turtles released. Research projects led by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the University of Guadalajara have been implemented within the Site, to gain a better understanding of species monitoring, population rehabilitation and ecological restoration.