We work directly with the community of Santo Domingo, Baja California Sur, to conserve Magdalena Bay, the most important wetland complex on the Baja California peninsula. Protecting this important coastal ecosystem is critical because it serves as a sanctuary for the Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus), a species that arrives annually during its breeding season, as well as its mangrove forest, which supports a large number of native and migratory species. Among the various efforts promoted to achieve our objectives at the site, conservation education is one of the most influential, as it motivates the participation of the community itself in the conservation of their environment.
Thanks to the efforts of the Conservation Education team, we promote the necessary tools to manage the environmental resources that sustain hundreds of families. Since 2019, we have implemented a strategy for the conservation of an important mangrove extension, in which the participation of the community has been crucial. Another line of action falls to Paola Murrieta, Belén Ojeda and Norma Sánchez, who carry out enriching environmental education days through modules on sustainable fishing. These activities address the importance of protecting resources, with a focus on the marine ecosystems and wetlands of the area.
Paola Murrieta, Pronatura Noroeste’s field technician, highlights the participation of the fishing families that seek to protect approximately 1,700 hectares of mangrove forest in Magdalena Bay.
Among the various actions, we provide educational activities, shorebird identification guides, informative guides on marine species, and lottery games on the region’s fishing gear. With all this, we enrich the conservation knowledge base for the community.
Likewise, we actively collaborate with the oyster farming sector of Santo Domingo, to whom we present the guidelines on the Areas Voluntarily Designated for Conservation (ADVC), as well as the mapping of the different fishing cooperatives that operate in Santo Domingo. During these interactions, thanks to the collaboration of sub-delegate Alfonso Flores Arce, two oyster cooperatives, mainly made up of women, have proposed a collaboration with Pronatura Noroeste for the creation of a community vigilance committee.
For more than 20 years, Pronatura Noroeste has worked for the conservation of the wetlands of Magdalena Bay. Through an uninterrupted effort, we were able to establish a protection area in the reserve’s neighboring areas, in a first stage, of 1,700 hectares, followed by 3,074 hectares that correspond to ejido plots. Currently, we have achieved the protection of 4,782 hectares of coastal ecosystem in Magdalena Bay.
Join the conservation mission in Magdalena Bay, together we can take care of this important sanctuary in Baja California Sur.
