Land Use and Conservation

With changes to Article 27 in the Mexican constitution that provide ownership to ejiditarios of their communally-held lands, land speculation is growing in Baja California Sur.  Indiscriminate coastal development is affecting large parts of the landscape, while at the same time, closing access to other development and recreational assets available to the community.  Gradual privatization and the growing exclusivity of coastal land in what is now known as “tourism corridors” has created tension in Los Cabos, La Paz and Loreto. 

Forestry has not been well-regulated either, and is intensifying due to demand for construction.  Mangrove trees, mesquite, fig, ditch reed, palm trees (both the trunk and palms), lapacho, desert ironwood, and highland grove are the target resources sought by real estate developers.  In addition to reducing the number of native trees, the gardens of these tourism complexes have non-native flora, transplanted without any kind of quality control.

With the changes to Article 27 in mind, the daily practices and behavior of the rural population, who live and work in the most vulnerable environments, should be a statewide priority for conservation. The responsible use of the natural resources, rejection of practices that have a negative impact on the environment, and improved living standards are indicators of the success of this awareness-raising and outreach process.  Increasing these communities’ voice in environmental decision-making is another critical component to conservation success in Baja California Sur.

These communities’ adaptation to the conservation process should largely be pursuant to the accrued benefits reflecting a behavior shift on their part.  For instance, if a community is granted a permit to take a certain number of Peninsular Bighorn Sheep (Borrego cimmaron) in exchange for habitat management (known as an UMA), subsequent management of the species and its habitat should improve local environmental conditions. 

In Baja California Sur, there are forty-eight UMAs, as of October 2003. Their number has increased considerably since 2001, which reflects the increasing importance granted to the sustainable use of regional wildlife. These UMAs handle fourteen species of plants and fourteen species of animals, the purpose of 8% is conservation, 35% for commercial use, and 57% for hunting.  Among them are two cactus nurseries, a recreational serpentarium, and a therapeutical dolphinarium.  The UMAs for commercial use breed and sell deer, quail, ostriches and reptiles. Hunting activities target Pronghorn antelope, hares, puma, and Peninsular bighorn sheep.[1]

In another example, if a community establishes a servidumbre ecológico, or conservation easement, they should be financially compensated for giving up transferable development rights on their land.  For example, in October 2005, Ejido Luis Echeverria Alvarez signed an historic conservation easement that zones the 120,000 communally-owned acres of the ejido into conservation areas, economic development areas, and buffer zones.  In return, a local nonprofit, Maijañuí, will receive an annual payment to implement community development activities on behalf of the ejido.