[2] Stream valleys in the western portion of the reserve, which form the headwaters of the Ameca River, are home are patches of relict cloud forest.

Typical trees include Clethra rosei, Ficus insipida, Ilex dugesii, Morella cerifera, Persea hintonii, Prunus serotina subsp.

[4] Native birds include the lesser roadrunner (Geococcyx velox), berylline hummingbird (Saucerottia beryllina), russet-crowned motmot (Momotus mexicanus), black-throated magpie-jay (Calocitta colliei), spotted wren (Campylorhynchus gularis), brown-backed solitaire (Myadestes occidentalis), blue mockingbird (Melanotis caerulescens), collared towhee (Pipilo ocai), blue bunting (Cyanocompsa parellina), black-vented oriole (Icterus wagleri), and rusty-crowned ground sparrow (Melozone kieneri).

[4] The reserve's forests help moderate Guadalajara's climate, improve air quality, and absorb carbon dioxide and other airborne pollutants.

The forests also improve water quality in the region's rivers, recharge groundwater basins, and reduce flooding risk in communities downstream.