El VizcaÃno Biosphere Reserve
El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve is a ( in Spanish: El Vizcaíno Reserve of the Biosphere ) in the center of the Mexican peninsula of Baja California. It covers an area of 25,468 km ², and also refers to the two coastal lagoons of Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio with one, administratively it belongs to the municipality of Mulege. It was named after the Spanish adventurers, sailors and soldier Sebastián Vizcaíno, who traveled this area around 1602.
In the reserve live about 200 species of birds on the beaches to find oviposition sites of four endangered sea turtles species, including loggerhead sea turtle, green turtle and Ridley Turtle. In winter numerous gray whales gather in the lagoons around here after a long hike from the Arctic waters of the Bering Sea and the Chukchi Sea to give birth to their calves. On the mainland, there are also more than 300 prehistoric petroglyphs.
The dry areas of the reserve, home to pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, cougars and bobcats.
In 1993, the Biosphere Reserve was received with its sanctuary for whales as a World Natural Heritage in the list of UNESCO World Heritage.