Diversity and conservation of terrestrial vertebrates (birds, mammals, and reptiles) of Sierra Cucapa, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico

Knowledge about the biodiversity of Baja California has been obtained mainly from natural protected areas (NPAs), while some unprotected natural areas have been poorly studied. The Sierra Cucapa in the northeast of the peninsula is one example. The objectives of this study are 1) to integrate existing knowl-edge of bird, mammal, and reptile diversity in Cucapa from public databases, citizen science platforms, and information generated from fieldwork, 2) to identify the spatial distribution of records in the study area, 3) to compare the composition of vertebrate species of Cucapa with that of NPAs of northern part of the peninsula, and 4) to assess the biological conservation value of Cucapa. We obtained records of 150 species of native vertebrates (102 birds, 34 mammals, and 14 reptiles) of which 10 species of birds, four mammals, and seven reptiles are included in a risk extinction category. The different sources of information contrib-uted in a complementary way to the species inventories. Large areas in western and northern Cucapa lack records. The total difference in species composition between Cucapa and nearby NPAs ranged between 58 and 69% for birds, 61 and 79% for mammals, and 69 and 87% for reptiles. The species richness of Cucapa, its particular species composition, the presence of species in risk extinction categories, and the number and size of unexplored areas indicate that this area represents an opportunity for biological conservation in the northern part of the Peninsula. This work provides compelling data for the protection of Cucapa.