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In collaboration with concerned residents, NGOs (non-government organizations), environmentalists, prestigious Mexican government institutions and scientists, Eco-Alianza strives to prevent irresponsible and poorly-planned developments that may destroy one of the richest eco-systems on our planet. Loreto is currently a designated World Heritage Site and could lose its standing if unscrupulous developers and commercial fishing operations are allowed to operate as they have in the past. The Bay of Loreto National Park is a Federally-mandated marine reserve and is being poached relentlessly.
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1) Surveillance and Enforcement
- Loreto Baykeeper
www.waterkeeper.org
Everyone has the right to clean water and managing this critically limited resource is especially important to assure the responsible and healthy growth planned for the Loreto region. The approach to secure this right is through local community-driven activism. In the fall of 2008, the Loreto Baykeeper joined the network of more than 160 local Waterkeeper programs working throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. The Waterkeeper Alliance provides the Loreto Baykeeper important technical and legal water protection tools, national and international visibility, and connections with other water protection advocates necessary to ensure vigilant protection of Loreto’s watershed.
In Loreto people have historically been linked to the sea in one way or another, as for today this fact hasn’t changed. Close to 66% of the total economic population works in the service industry -hotels, tours, and restaurants- which depends heavily on the tourism sector that comes mainly for fishing, kayaking, and scuba diving. Given that most of the local economy is driven by marine resources, there is a great interest in minimizing any possible impacts to the quality and quantity of such natural capital.
However, marine water quality and fresh water availability is threatened by reckless growth and impending development. If the urban development plan takes place as intended, a study done by Harvard University has estimated a population of 240,000 people by the year 2025, in the worst case scenario. The drastic increase in the number of visitors to the area, as well as a steep growth in population, can result in problems such as: 1) saline intrusion on the wells; 2) limited fresh water availability; 3) damage to benthic flora and fauna caused by brine from desalination plants; 4) more solid waste; and 5) increased fishing effort on fishing stocks that are already displaying signs of overexploitation.
Past experiences from Los Cabos and Cancún provides evidence of the critical importance of building Loreto’s sustainable development on the rational use of natural resources, with the goal of increasing the local life quality. These examples also prove that civil society cannot only depend on federal, state, or local authorities to create and implement plans with long range vision, enforce environmental regulations, and promote sustainable use of the natural resources.
The Loreto Baykeeper objective is to ensure the water quality in the Loreto region. The Loreto Baykeeper will take a stand on the impending pressures threatening the natural assets, act as a watch dog so the existing environmental laws and regulations are enforced, lobby for new litigation needs, and develop solutions for the problems affecting the waters within the Bay of Loreto jurisdiction.
- Bay of Loreto National Park: The Next Step for Community Custody of the Natural Capital
Illicit activities inside the Bay of Loreto National Park (PNBL) are a constant and ongoing problem that must be eliminated to secure the health of this marine protected area including the coastal and terrestrial surrounds. In order to address this problem, a collaborative proposal was submitted and recently approved by the Fondo Mexicano para el Golfo de California.
The proposal promotes Eco-Alianza’s objectives and conservation strategies as the lead environmental organization for this program in close coordination with CONANP (Comisión Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas) and two of the most prominent NGO’s operating in the region - COBI (Comunidad y Biodiversidad, A.C.) and Niparajá (Sociedad de Historia Natural Niparajá, A.C.).
The program objectives are to support, strengthen and optimize the surveillance executed by CONANP (Comisión Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas), with the primary goal of successfully enforcing the laws that exist to protect the waters of the PNBL.
- Pescadores Vigilantes – New Fisherman’s Watch Group Formed in Loreto
On June 1, 2009, the foundation for “Pescadores Vigilantes” (vigilant fishermen) was established in Loreto, BCS. To address issues concerning conservation of the fishing industry and the National Marine Park, local commercial and sport fishermen were invited to a meeting sponsored by Eco-Alianza de Loreto. Participation was strong as over 100 responses were received by the organizers.
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- Member-Advisory Board – Bay of Loreto National Park
Serving as a Technical advisor, Eco-Alianza and its diverse members will assist and advise the Bay of Loreto National Park staff in protecting the Park from further abuses.
2) Communication and Education Programs
- Youth Programs
Sponsorship of the Green Team a local high school basketball team participating in educational and community outreach programs.
- Recycling Program
In collaboration with PROBEA (San Diego Natural History Museum), CONANP and the Loreto Bay Foundation, Eco-Alianza launched a one week campaign to promote recycling plastic bottles. The goal was to change the community attitude towards recycling. Future campaigns will be directed specifically to all private and federal schools ranging from elementary to high schools and the university. Churches, restaurants, hotels and local businesses will also act as recycling mini-centers. The one week recycling campaign shed light on how much plastic is being consumed in Loreto and the specific needs of a permanent recycling center.
- Eco-Bags – “Saving the planet one bag at a time”
A program to collaborate with other NGO’s in the region, the Municipal government and retail stores to ban plastic bags that are scarring our ecosystem.
- Scholarship Fund - Sponsorship of the “Javier Mercado Leon Scholarship Fund”
Established October, 2008 at UABCS Loreto Campus.
- Community Outreach – Special awareness programs and events in Loreto including:
- A program to communicate the importance of Natural Protected Areas in collaboration with COBI and CONANP. A proposal was submitted to the Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza and is still being reviewed.
- Conservation Week - participant and organizer – November 2008
- Grupo Tortuguero – Host Annual Turtle Conference – January 2009
- “Loreto Community Pride Campaign” - sponsor – To celebrate Earth Day – April 2009
- World Ocean Day sponsor – sponsor and organizer – June 2009
- “Pescadores Vigilantes” (Vigilant Fishermen) - June
- 13th Anniversary Celebration of the Bay of Loreto National Park – Co-sponsor and organizer – July 19, 2009
3) Lobbying, Legal Defense and Development Watchdog
- Public Consultations to increase public awareness and transparency
Conduct environmental manifest impact studies and initiate public consultations with the legal aid of CEMDA (Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental). As well as legal defense of environmental violations detected by the “Loreto Baykeeper,” in collaboration with CEMDA.
- Municipal Land-use Ecological Management
Take part in the review of POEM (Plan de Ordenamiento Ecológico Municipal) which is a plan that states the procedural basis for future development outside the jurisdiction of the Urban Development Plan. The POEM is very much concerned in managing the natural resources in a sustainable fashion with a long –range vision.
- IMPLAN (Municipal Institute for Development Planning – a civil association).
Participate as a member organization to address issues of water supply/quality, waste management, protection of historical sites and urban planning.
4) RESEARCH
- “Mapa del Mar”
In collaboration with COBI and CONANP, this research provides socioeconomic and attitudes information of the marine park users for establishing more No-Take Zones (e.g. no fishing zones) inside the park. The research will provide results that map out strategies for assisting in the revision of the marine park management plan during 2009.
- Biological Research
Conduct biological research of the Sierra de La Giganta for the future purpose of declaring the area a Natural Protected Area. Loss of critical habitat, riparian, coastal mangrove destruction and archeological sites are all in need of protection.
- Marine Park Expansion
Collaborative on-going biological and socio-economic research as a basis for a future proposal to expand the Bay of Loreto National Park.
5) Eco-Alianza Center for Biodiversity and Conservation (EAC)
Temporary headquarters – current offices of Eco-Alianza de Loreto, A.C. in downtown Loreto
- 2009
> Research and conceptual design for a green building proposal in collaboration with “green builders,” environmental engineers and government agencies; promote use of green technologies in the region.
> Locate desired property or an existing building suitable for remodel according to “green design” principals in keeping with the urban plan.
> Initiate a capital campaign to raise one-half (50%) of the anticipated capital required for either the purchase or construction of the building that will serve as the permanent headquarters of Eco-Alianza
- 2010 - 2011
> Research and conceptual…
- 2012
> Raise the balance…
- 2013
> Commence construction…
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