The Central Highlands region is named for the numerous mountain ranges that rise above the deserts, mesas, and canyons of central New Mexico. This region is at the convergence of five major biological and geological influences: the Colorado Plateau, Southern Rockies, Eastern Plains, Chihuahuan Desert, and Sky Islands. This melting pot of influences is responsible for the exceptional biodiversity that has evolved in this region.

In the northwest, the Colorado Plateau influences the Central Highlands with grasslands, sagebrush and pinyon-juniper communities typical of the Great Basin. In the north, the southern terminus of the Rockies is represented by the Sandia and Manzano Mountains.  In the southeast, the Sacramento and Guadalupe Mountains include flora and fauna of both the Southern Rockies and the west Texas highlands.  These mountains are surrounded by the grassland and shrub communities of the Chihuahuan Desert and the grasslands of the Eastern Plains.  In the west, the Black, San Mateo and Magdalena Mountains emerge dramatically from the Chihuahuan Desert floor.  These mountains and intervening valleys represent the northern terminus of the Sierra Madre, and support many plants and animals associated with the Sky Islands region.  This exceptional habitat diversity allows many species to reach the edge of their distributions in this region.  For instance, red-headed woodpeckers, boreal owls, Cassin's kingbirds, and Montezuma quail all exist within a 200 mile radius of each other.  Similarly, both desert and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep populations roam different mountain ranges within this region. Other common wildlife includes cougar, black bear, elk, deer, and an array of reptiles and amphibians.  In a broader context, the wildlands of the Central Highlands are an important north-south link along the spine of the North American Continent, providing important dispersal and migration corridors for wide-ranging species, including key flyways for raptors.

Aside from its rich biological diversity, the Central Highlands region is strikingly beautiful.  Here a ribbon of green cottonwood-lined bosque forest winds through the dry desert astride the Rio Grande River and rugged, cactus-covered ridgelines give rise to mesas of pinyon and juniper and to majestic mountain peaks covered with forests of ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and Englemann spruce.  The wildlands in this region also provide a high quality of life to area residents, who enjoy the region's remarkable scenery, opportunities for outdoor recreation, solitude, and spiritual renewal.