Protection of coastal lands and wetlands in Northern Sinaloa

Sinaloa’s coast hosts about 400 species of birds; including 500,000 waterbird, which constitute more than 12% of Mexico’s wintering water birds populations. Here lies a complex system of estuaries and coastal lagoons dominated by mangrove forests which provide habitat for a wide variety of terrestrial and marine fauna.

Nevertheless, these wetlands lack any legal protection and already show signs of degradation caused by human activities such as shrimp aquaculture farming, logging of mangrove forests, agricultural activities, and residual waste discharges into water bodies.

Throughout 2009, we developed the ecological and socioeconomic baseline for these wetlands, where we identified those areas that constitute critical habitat with potential for the implementation of private and public legal instruments for conservation. As first stage in our long-term program, this information allowed for the protection of 2,030 acres of priority coastal wetlands through the acquisition of land in Bahia Santa Maria.