Have you ever thought about what lies beneath your feet? And we’re not talking about pipes, but something much more powerful and vital: soil. Not the one that you brush off of your shoes when you clean them, but the soil that sustains us, feeds millions of people and holds more life than we can imagine. 

Every July 7th the Soil Conservation Day is celebrated in honor of the scientist Hugh Hasmmond Bennett who dedicated his life to prove that without healthy soils there’s no food, no health, no future. The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) points out that the soil is home to more than 25% of all the biodiversity on the planet.   

However, even though it is a vital resource, we are losing it. Erosion, deforestation, chemical fertilizers, and urban growth are destroying its capacity to give us food and protection from climate change. 

In Mexico, a notable example is Bahía Magdalena, in Baja California Sur, where concrete actions of conservation are already being implemented. Through Pronatura Noroeste, and in collaboration with local communities, we have managed to protect a total of 4,782 hectares of coastal ecosystems by the creation of private conservation reserves. This effort portrays a successful model of community work and long-term commitment to the protection of strategic habitats. 

What does that mean?  We are looking to protect and improve the health of the main wetland complex on the Baja California peninsula. Consisting of more than 40 wetlands, it has a mangrove forest of about 22,000 hectares and is the refuge of birds like: 

• Brent goose (Branta bernicla nigricans)
• Marbled godwit (Limosa fedoa)
• Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
• Long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus)
• Western sandpiper  (Calidris mauri)
• Harris’s hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) 
• Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)
• Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus).
   

Now more than ever we need to recover our relationship with the ground. Because a healthy soil is a synonym of healthy food, clean air, and strong communities.

Translated by: Daleth Aguilar
Reviewed and edited by: Perla Mendoza