This intermittently flooded lake complex on the edge of Mexico City hosts a variety of ecosystems such as terrestrial and aquatic halophytic vegetation, swamps, and tule vegetation. It also supports more than 250 plant species, more than 370 animal species and over ten species of fungi and mosses. These include globally threatened species such as the Xochimilco axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) and the rough-necked alligator lizard (Barisia rudicollis), both classified as critically endangered, the endangered mexclapique (Girardinichthys viviparus) and the vulnerable Sprague’s pipit (Anthus spragueii). It is an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA), hosting an annual average of 150,000 migratory birds such as the northern shoveler (Anas clypeata), ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) and Wilson’s phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor). The Site is the main body of water in the Valley of Mexico basin, and it supports a series of economic activities to the benefit of local communities. It helps to prevent flooding in neighbouring residential areas, provides raw materials for different uses including construction and medicine, regulates climate, sequesters carbon, and helps to ensure water quality. The Site has also been decreed as a protected natural area called "Área de Protección de Recursos Naturales Lago de Texcoco".