High in the mountains of southern Mexico, El Triunfo's 294,000 acres span four climate zones and hold a unique collection of native plant and animal species, many of which occur only in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas and Guatemala. In 1990 the Mexican government created El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve to protect this rich ecosystem. Recognizing the importance of preserving the biological integrity of El Triunfo, Conservation International and Starbucks focused on the reserve's buffer zones where local farmers grow coffee beneath the forest canopy. The partnership supports a conservation initiative to help farmers protect El Triunfo's uninhabited core zones where agriculture is forbidden.