In November 2021, Only One members provided funding to the Guardianas del Estero El Conchalito (Guardians of the El Conchalito Estuary), which they will use to conduct coastal cleanup efforts and plant mangroves in the Ensenada de la Paz wetland, Mexico.
The Guardianas del Estero El Conchalito group was formed by 14 women who promised each other they would go to El Conchalito every day to take care of the estuary (which borders the city of La Paz) and prevent illegal fishing. Over the course of 2018, they managed to reduce the unlawful extraction of pen shells to less than 15 percent of what it was in 2017.
Since then, the women have expanded their activities to include collecting waste and preventing vehicles from entering the wetlands and compacting the soil.
Working in collaboration with Noroeste Sustentable, Costa Salvaje, the Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas, and the local government, and as founding members of the Organización de Pescadores Rescatando la Ensenada (Organization of Fishermen Rescuing the Bay), the group’s long-term goal is to create an urban nature reserve focused on conserving and protecting the mangrove and mesquite forests, including the recovery of around 11 hectares of ecologically vital mangrove lagoon.
Project impact
7 local community members will receive training in mangrove planting and coastal wetland restoration
Around 11 hectares of mangrove lagoon will be restored following the delimitation of the mangrove reforestation area by experts
Environmental permits will be obtained to collect propagules and plant shrubs and trees in the El Conchalito urban mangrove forest
Diverse mangrove seedlings will be collected from the Bay of La Paz wetland to operate and advance a nursery with a minimum annual production of 1,000 seedlings
4 coastal cleanup days to remove garbage and debris from the mangrove ecosystem will take place in 2022
Why the reforestation of mangroves in El Conchalito matters
Located in a marine priority site, the El Conchalito estuary is also an area of importance for the conservation of birds. A large number of native and migratory birds rely on the mangrove ecosystem for refuge, food, and breeding, including the least tern, a species under special protection. The mangroves are critical to the health of the Bay of La Paz, maintaining water quality and supporting, among other marine species, fish, crustaceans, and mollusks.
Yet, these mangroves have greatly deteriorated: between 1973 and 1981, the Bay of La Paz lost over 20 percent of its mangrove coverage, and the situation has worsened since. El Conchalito is probably the most vulnerable part of the wetland, due in part to the sweeping housing developments. This degradation negatively impacts the productivity of the mangrove lagoons and threatens the population of La Paz, too, as the estuary is a stabilizer of the coastline, retaining energy from waves and acting as a natural barrier to storms.
This is why the Guardianas del Estero El Conchalito’s dedication to the reforestation of mangroves in the months and years ahead is so important.
