In 1967 the Botanical Garden of the National University of Mexico created the first Mexican natural  protected area with the
objective to study forest regeneration. Thus began the saga of the Estacíon de Biologia Tropical Los Tuxtlas  (Los
The station consists of 644 hectares and is  located near Balzapote, a small coastal ejido near Catemaco, Veracruz.

Since construction of residential facilities in 1984,  the station has been in the vanguard of ecological and biological
investigations of both the Tuxtlas and Mexico.

The Station has an excellent small library, a small museum and a plant nursery. It also has the equivalent of a modern motel  
to house visiting scientists.
The station straddles the Catemaco to Montepio road, at about 120 meter altitude, and occupies a narrow sliver of land uphill on
Cerro Vigia (560m), then drops down to Laguna El Zacatal and climbs again to reach about 700 meters altitude towards Volcano
San Martin Tuxtla.

Management is not particularly fond of straggler tourists, but it is possible to trek into the surviving wilderness. Registering with the
office and asking permission is the right thing to do. The station is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

The relatively small area of study is surrounded by private properties for sale. Even a development program for nearby Laguna
Escondida is being schemed. This is an ideal place for someone like The Nature Conservancy, or its Mexican counterpart to buy up
available land and revert it to conservation in conjunction with the EBTLT.
Estación de Biología Tropical
San Andrés Tuxtla, Veracruz