page_title: Water resources management in Mexico
section_title: Aquatic ecosystems
hierarchical_section_title: Water resources management in Mexico / Water resources management by sector / Aquatic ecosystems
caption_attribution_description: English: Lepisosteus platyrhincus at Aquazoo Löbbecke-Museum Düsseldorf Deutsch: Kaimanfische (Lepisosteus platyrhincus) im Aquazoo Löbbecke-Museum Düsseldorf
context_page_description: Water resources management is a significant challenge for Mexico. Furthermore, water management is imposing a heavy cost to the economy. The arid northwest and central regions contain 77% of Mexico's population and generate 87% of the gross domestic product. By contrast, the poorer southern regions have abundant water resources;however, surface and groundwater are overexploited and polluted thus leading to an insufficient water availability to support economic development and environmental sustainability. The country has in place a system of water resources management that includes both central and decentralized institutions.
context_section_description: There are approximately 70 lakes in Mexico, covering a total area of 3,700 square kilometers (910,000 acres). Some of these lakes, especially in the Eastern side, have a volcanic origin and count with numerous endemic species. Lake Chapala, the largest Mexican lake, is considered a hydrological priority region for biodiversity conservation due to its 39 local species, 19 of which are endemic. The Lake Catemaco, located in Veracruz, has 12 native species 9 of which are endemic.
  Wetlands in Mexico are dynamic, complex and productive ecosystems. Six major wetland are registered in the RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands: Lagartos River (Yucatan Peninsula), Cuatrocienagas (Coahuila), La Encrucijada (Chiapas), Marsh Nayarit and Sinaloa, Centla Swamp (Tabasco), and the Colorado River (Baja California). 
  Cenotes, sinkholes on the Yucatan peninsula that are filled with groundwater, host a number of unique species from bacteria, algae and protozoa (i.e. copepoda, cladocera and rotifera) to vertebrates (i.e.lepisosteus). Cenotes are the main water source for many ancient and contemporary Maya people, as there are no rivers and very few lakes on the peninsula.
caption: A Lepisosteus, one of the endemic species of Mexico
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