Operation Chiapas
Enveloped in a constant mantle of fog, the Chiapas Cloudforest of the Sierra Madre Mountains, is tucked away in the 300,000 acres of the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve. This reserve is considered one of the most pristine and diverse natural areas remaining in Mexico, containing some of the highest biodiversity of flora and fauna within the Western Hemisphere.

The Reserve features ten of the nineteen vegetation types found in Chiapas, among which is found two of the most threatened in Mexico - the cloud forest and the rain forest.

Shrouded in the vegetation of the reserve, emerge giant tree ferns, evergreen trees that reach over 90 meters above the forest floor, branches covered in vines, moss, bromeliads, and beautiful orchids that give the image of hanging gardens suspended in the canopy.

Established under UNESCO's man and the biosphere (MAB) programme, biosphere reserves are a series of protected areas linked through a global network, intended to demonstrate the relationship between conservation and development. The general public must realize that humanitarian, environmental, and socio-economic efforts can work in unison if creative, ethical, and sustainable programs are implemented appropriately. The El Triunfo Biosphere, just like the Organic Portraits project, represents one of those interesting areas of both challenge and opportunity.