An Overview Of Our Solution
Cabo Pulmo bet to the conservation
Who is this solution impacting?
Ecosystem
Oceans/Coasts
Community Type
Suburban
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: North America
Problem
Describe the problem
We grew up in this place & we learned from our parents to make a living at sea. Time passed & the fishing was becoming increasingly difficult. The sea no longer offered as many fish & each fishing trip required us travel further. Meanwhile, more people from outside the area came to see the beautiful garden that was in front of our fishing camp: the coral reef. This is the largest coral reef system in the Gulf of California &, possibly, the oldest of the Northeastern Pacific. Recognizing the reef’s ecological importance and in an attempt to stop overfishing, a group of fishermen from this community supported by scientists asked the government to designate the area as a Marine Reserve. A National Park was created in 1995 to protect it.
Biodiversity Impact
Of the vast area covered by oceans, only 1% is protected in marine reserves. CaboPulmo National Park is one of those rare and privileged places. After 15 years, the area is now acknowledged as one of the top marine conservation successes in Mexico. The local community, visitors and scientists testify the great marine diversity and fish abundance. This recovery is mainly the result of an organized community who completely shifted their livelihoods from commercial fishing to non-extractive activities and who, until recently, were the only defenders of the park. In addition to bringingtourism to the area, the CaboPulmo reef acts as anursery by increasing fish populations in other marine areas.
Solution
Research has shown that since the creation of the park and through the participation of the community, the CaboPulmo reef has shown signs of recovery: ƒ?› In 10 years, the abundance of fish quintupled. It has the greatest concentration of fish in the Gulf of California. ƒ?› This has allowed the return of species that are hardly found in other places, like sharks and other giant fish that have returned to populate the reef. ƒ?› The creation of the Park and the protection the community has given it have allowed the return of the reef back to its natural state, the way scientists believe it was before it was impacted by fishing and the anchoring of boats. ƒ?› These achievements show that we can support the recovery of the oceanƒ??s wealth and benefit from doing so without destroying it . Today CaboPulmo is a world leader in community-based marine conservation - a source of pride for us and all Mexicans. // CaboPulmo serves as an example of the benefits of protected areas. M??xico has a total of 174 Natural Protected Areas that are composed by 25,384,818 hectares.
Replicability
How many years has your solution been applied? 16 years // Have others reproduced your solution elsewhere? Yes // Our projects and lines of action: (see graphic)
Human Well Being and Livelihood Impact
Well-planned development is in everyone’s interest. CaboPulmo Vivo is a coalition of organizations & individuals who are undertaking a legal & communication campaign against Cabo Cortes, a mega touristic project that represents the currently biggest threats to CPNP. This campaign had been implemented at local, national, & international levels. ACCP is providing liaison between the community & the campaign, training community members how to document activities related to the project. Community members have turned their training into tangible material (photographs and video) for use in both the media and legal campaigns. Parallel to this, we still working so CaboPulmo continues to be a unique tourist destination & an unforgettable experience for those who visit us. To enjoy the wonders of the reef we offer the following activities: Diving, Fishing, Kayaking, Snorkeling, Hiking, Wildlife Observation, Restaurants, Lodging. With them, the 120 people that live in our community have a good quality life. But with the changes in the scenario of the region, we are aware that the family businesses and our own capabilities needs to be strengthen to ensure the perpetuity of this life project for next generations. This year we had been working strongly in a process to understand better how to address the threats that we face at CaboPulmo. We just end to consensus about the vision for the future that we want for this community: a Sanctuary of Sea, Earth & People. Once we had this common vision, we organize ourselves in a local development committee to understand better. // Founded in 2003, Friends for the Conservation of CaboPulmo is a community base organization comprised of tourism service providers, residents, students and housewives, the creation of which was inspired by a desire to protect sea turtles and preserve the coral reef. Over the years we have learned that to protect this site, we must care for our environment as well as improve the quality of life of the people living on her shores. With this vision, we have provided our community with the means to build a local model of tourism development that will strengthen conservation efforts and community life.