One of seven new protected areas in Mexico
Santuario Playa Boca de Apiza - El Chupadero - El Tecuanillo
Although the Coahuayana river is the division between the states of Colima and Michoacan the beach name belongs to both states. Technically the reserve is on the Colima side of the river,
Natural coastal wetland with dominant thorn scrubs and low deciduous forest vegetation, and in the surroundings, coastal dunes, seagrass beds and mangroves. Three of the 7 species of marine turtles registered in Mexico hatch their eggs in these beaches: Lepidochelys olivacea, Dermochelys coriacea, and Chelonia agassizi.
The Sanctuary provides a habitat for a number of resident and migratory, terrestrial and aquatic birds, many of which are threatened or endangered, such as the Wood Stork (Mycteria americana), the Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens), the Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), the Bare-throated Tiger-Heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum), and the Agami Heron (Agamia agami).
