Cedo Intercultural - Coastal Conservation

Coastal Conservation

Development is happening fast in the Northern Gulf of California. While economic opportunities expand for some, a lack of planning threatens many of the region’s natural resources and the livelihoods of others who depend upon them. CEDO’s strategy for sustainable coastal development identifies essential ecosystems and brings together community, government and other environmental organizations to protect them, minimize human impacts and find alternative sustainable ways to use natural resources.

Currently, our Marine and Coastal Conservation program focuses on coastal wetlands and rocky habitats in the Northern Gulf of California. We are using a nearby estuary, Estero Morúa, as a model, developing actions that can be replicated in other wetlands of the region. We also have projects in the rocky reefs offshore of Sandy Beach and in the esteros of La Cholla, Bahía San Jorge and Bahía Adair.

Program Objectives:
- Maintain the economic and ecologic functions of essential habitats.
- Promote sustainable regional coastal development.

* If you would like to support coastal and wetland conservation please consider donating to our Peñasco Estero Conservation Fund here.

Current Projects in Coastal Conservation:

Estero Morúa: Pilot Project in Conservation
In Estero Morúa we are developing and evaluating conservation tools for replication in other estuaries.

Private Land Conservation
CEDO uses legal tools, similar to conservation easements, to regulate land use around wetlands.

Estero Conservation Fund
This fund enables CEDO to take advantage of opportunities to promote sustainable development and preserve wetlands.

Legal Protection of Habitats
CEDO works with the government and tourism developers to promote compliance with environmental laws.

NaturArte Ecotourism Corridor
A series of small-scale eco-tourism businesses links shared social and environmental principles and practices for the protection of wetlands. CEDO is helping promote and develop a corridor of these businesses with community groups, artists, and others committed to wetland conservation.

Marine Conservation
By exchanging information with researchers and fishers, experimenting with no fishing zones, and understanding currents, we hope to ensure healthy commercial and sport fisheries, and conserve these hot spots of biodiversity.

Tourist Development
As Puerto Peñasco grows at an exponential rate, CEDO gathers the facts on the growth of the tourism industry and its impacts on local economies and natural resources. Here you’ll discover how these projects damage or support healthy ecosystems.

Marine and Coastal Conservation Team
Assistant-Director, Conservation Programs: Biol. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Coastal Conservation Coordinator: M en C. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Sustainable Tourism Assistant: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Wetland Research Assistant: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Research Associate: Biol Mar. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Thesis Students: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Jenna Spackeen

Wish List
To support our wetland eco-tourism projects we request the following:
- Kayaks
- Lifejackets
- Binoculars
- Kaufman’s Birds of North America field guides
- Basic English classes for eco-tourism operators

Collaborators:
- Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza – Programa para la Conservación del Golfo de California – FMCN – FCGC
- The David and Lucille Packard Foundation
- Global Greengrants Fund
- The University of Arizona
- Pronatura
- Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental – CEMDA
- Defensa Ambiental del Noroeste – DAN
- Alianza para la Sustentabilidad del Noroeste Costero Mexicano – ALCOSTA
- Dunn-Edwards Paints

30th Anniversary Tide Bits: Bats

* Design by Margaret Kimball

Bats are the only flying mammals in the world. All other mammals that are capable of "flight," such as flying squirrels, glide instead of fly and can only do so in short distance, unlike bats which are capable of long flights. Over 1,000 bat species exist worldwide, and a variety of bats can be found in the desert region around the Northern Gulf of California. Some species of bats in the Sonoran Desert are adapted to pollinate the flowers of the saguaro and organ pipe cacti.

On Isla San Jorge, a group of stone islets harboring a sea lion colony 20 miles off the coast of Las Conchas where CEDO is located, the Mexican Fish-eating bat (Myotis vivesi) can be found. This bat is endemic to the Sea of Cortez and has very long claws and large feet to assist in catching fish. Only a tiny percentage of bats eat fish, while around 70 percent eat insects, with fruit and nectar being the next most popular food of choice. While bats often have a negative connotation in popular culture, these flying mammals conduct vital ecological roles such as pollinating flowers and dispersing fruit seeds.