On the forties, the research works of Prof. Miguel Alvarez del Toro put on evidence the need to conserve this site. In 1972, the first policies emerged and the Natural History Institute of Chiapas took the direction on their hands. In 1990, El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve was formally established by the federal government and the different zones were precisely delimited. Biological diversity in this unique place is as important as its fragility.
Ridges allow water to fall transformed in rain when humid winds come from the Pacific Coast.
This immense amount of water is retained thanks to a dense vegetation, thus feeding nine rivers that supply more than twenty towns, included a big area of coffee plantations and La Angostura dam. Destruction of forests has had serious consequences, due to the steep terrain that reaches up to 60 degrees. A big amount of water running over the soil, produces a strong erosion. The conservation of forests in this region is very important for Chiapas and the whole country. It inhabits exclusively in cloud forests of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas and Guatemala.