Figure 1. Location of the Janos region showing current land uses and natural vegetation cover in 2005.

The Janos region covers 1 millon hectares in northern Mexico, bordering the United States. The main plant communities are grasslands, shrublands, and temperate forests. This region still maintains one of the largest prairie dog complexes in the world, and the Janos Biosphere Reserve has been designated to protect this biologically important region.