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U.S., Mexico activists sign coastal accord
Wire services
El Universal
Miércoles 26 de octubre de 2005
TIJUANA U.S. and Mexican conservationists and communal land holders
agreed Tuesday on a plan to limit further development of about
110,000 acres of coastal land around a northern Mexico lagoon
that serves as a calving ground for gray whales.
Members of the communal landholding group Ejido Luis Echeverría
and the conservation groups Pronatura of Mexico and the California-based
Wildcoast agreed to preserve the Laguna San Ignacio, a pristine
lagoon home to wetlands frequented by migratory birds and mangrove
swamps that feed the local fishing industry.
California gray whales migrate 6,000 miles from the Bering Sea
to the lagoon, located along Baja California's Pacific Coast about
450 miles (724 kilometers) south of San Diego, to mate and bear
their young.
The communal landholders agreed to limit development in 110,000
acres (45,000 hectares) and in exchange they will receive US25,000
a year in perpetuity from a trust fund established through the
San Diegobased International Community Foundation.
Pronatura will ensure that the money is used for environmentally
friendly projects and land holders will also have access to loans
to strengthen the existing ecotourism industry.
The agreement will help "to avoid the plundering of natural
resources in San Ignacio," said Pronatura's director Enrique
Hambleton.
The San Ignacio forms part of the Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve,
which UNESCO declared a world heritage site in 1993. In 2000,
Mexico halted plans to build a salt plant after years of controversy
and protests from environmental groups.
"If we hadn't signed this agreement, we could have been
forced to sell some of our land but with (the financial help)
we can open small business and strengthen the economy of our communities,"
said landholder Raúl López, who represented the
Ejido Luis Echeverría.
FISHING INDUSTRY BOOMING
López said the region's fishing industry, which feeds
local restaurants, had more than quadrupled since landholders
began to focus on protecting the lagoon and promoting ecotourism.
"Before our fishing industry netted about 300 kilograms
(660 pounds) per season and that has gone up to more than 1,300
kilograms (2865 pounds)," López said.
López said land holders planned to use the money to buy
more boats for whale watching, build camping grounds and open
small restaurants.
