Big Thicket

The Big Thicket National Preserve is a National Preserve in the southwest of the U.S. state of Texas, near the city of Beaumont. The reserve is located in the flat Gulf Coastal Plain. During the Cretaceous the area was from the Western Interior Seaway covered.

History

It was founded on October 11, 1974 along with the Big Cypress National Preserve as one of the first in the U.S. since 1981 and is also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. In 1993, the sanctuary was enlarged and since July 26, 2001, there is a Globally Important Bird Area. A further expansion took place in 2009.

Flora & Fauna

The protected area has a very high biodiversity. Although there are more than 100 different tree and shrub species, the forests of the swamp - pine dominated. Furthermore, there are more than 1000 flowers and ferns, including orchids and carnivorous plants.

There is also next to 300 different bird species also various species of reptiles, such as poisonous snakes and alligators.

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