| Fast Facts |
location
between the Baja California peninsula and mainland Mexico
ecoregions
Cortesian, Magdalena Transition, Mexican Temperate Pacific, Gulf of California Xeric Scrub, California Coastal Sage and Chaparral
project size
entire peninsula plus 1.2 million acres of sea (including 900 islands)
preserves
San Cosme-Punta Mechudo corridor
public lands
Loreto Bay National Park, Islas del Golfo Flora and Fauna Reserve
partners
Niparajá, Grupo Ecologista Antares, Comision Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas
conservancy initiatives
Marine
natural events
whales calving and nursing, winter; Gray Whale Festival, San Ignacio, winter | |
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| Collaborative management helps alleviate pervasive threats to these warm, sheltered waters, one of the last breeding grounds on Earth for blue whales. |
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Organ pipe, cholla and other cactus, Isla Cholluda.
© George H. Huey |
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Millions of years ago, the Baja California peninsula broke off from the mainland of present- day Mexico. The Pacific Ocean rushed in, creating the Gulf of California, or as it is known in the United States, the Sea of Cortez. Today, rugged coastlines, lagoons, coral reefs and palm oases mark the region where the Baja desert meets the sea.
The gulf’s waters teem with unique creatures, from giant manta rays to the world’s smallest aquatic mammal, a harbor porpoise found only in these waters. The majestic blue whale, displaced from all but a handful of its breeding grounds worldwide, returns every winter to calve in sheltered lagoons along the peninsula, along with gray, fin and pilot whales. Gentle female gray whales even offer up their young for tourists to pet. On the gulf’s islands and beaches, sea lions and five species of sea turtle nest and breed. Only the Red Sea harbors more marine diversity than does the Gulf of California. |
Blue whale fluke.
© George H. Huey |
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Hundreds of prehistoric cave painting sites are scattered throughout the central Baja California peninsula, and recent archeological finds indicate that humans may have discovered the treasures of the gulf more than 20,000 years ago. Giant depictions of humans and animals in red and black, some measuring 40 feet high, these |
| paintings represent the largest trove of ancient rock art in the Americas. | |
Pearl diving was once the chief economic activity on the peninsula. The Pericue Indians had been collecting the gems for centuries when the Spaniards arrived. Since the 1970s, commercial fishing fleets have dominated the region, with little regard for local communities. Shrimp trawler nets scoop up manta rays, dolphins, turtles and hundreds of other animals, dooming most to death. By some estimates, nearly 10 pounds of other marine life dies for every pound of shrimp caught. Unregulated tourism development along the coasts and islands also threatens fragile ecosystems and traditional livelihoods.
Since 1998, The Nature Conservancy has worked at two key sites—Loreto National Marine Park and Isla Espiritu Santo—with a broad coalition of partners in both Mexico and the United States through the Parks in Peril program. We have created management plans and strengthened patrolling, thus helping reduce two of the most significant threats: infrastructure development for tourism and overfishing.
Learn more about The Nature Conservancy's work in Mexico. |
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| Conservation Profile |
targets
ringtail cat, barrel cactus; loggerhead, leatherback, hawksbill, green and olive ridley turtles; hammerhead and whale sharks; whipsnake; blue, fin, gray and pilot whales
stresses
overfishing, pollution, unregulated tourism development, exotic species
strategies
promote ecologically compatible land-use practices, engage community in natural resource management, strengthen local partner organizations, build conservation alliances, promote ecologically sound public policies, acquire land, secure conservation easements
results
partnered with local land trust, Niparajá, to protect more than 60 miles of coastline; helped government acquire Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida | | | | |
