Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve, Biosphere reserve between Colima and Jalisco, Mexico.

The Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve covers 139,577 hectares in the Sierra Madre del Sur, mostly in Jalisco with a portion in Colima. Its terrain spans from the Cerro Grande ridge to deep valleys, shaped by tectonic and volcanic activity and erosion. Nine vegetation types range from conifer and oak forests to cloud forest and tropical deciduous and semi-deciduous woodland.

The protected area was established in 1987 when Mexican authorities designated it to safeguard its forests and water sources for future generations. UNESCO granted it biosphere reserve status the following year, giving it international recognition as an important natural zone.

The reserve is a reference for mycology in western Mexico: over 200 species of macroscopic fungi have been recorded, and local communities collect edible ones in a traditional practice that gave rise to the regional Feria del Hongo. The reserve also functions as a biocultural conservation laboratory for UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere programme.

The reserve spans seven municipalities across Jalisco and Colima, so access points differ; the scientific station Las Joyas, set up in 1984, and the IMECBIO institute founded in 1985 serve as reference bases for researchers and guided visits. Trails cross altitudes ranging from tropical forest to temperate-cold formations, so plan for steep, uneven ground and carry water. More than 40,000 people live inside the reserve, mostly farming corn, beans and sugarcane, and local guides are the surest way to reach remote sectors.

The wild maize Zea diploperennis was found in 1977 by researchers from the University of Guadalajara and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Local people call it milpilla or chapule, and it is a perennial teosinte, a wild relative of maize whose genetic value is recognised worldwide. Its discovery led to the scientific station Las Joyas in 1984 and the IMECBIO institute in 1985.