WILDCOAST
Programs
Program 1 [2020]
CALIFORNIAS MARINE PROTECTED AREASCALIFORNIAS 545,280 ACRES OF MARINE PROTECTED AREAS, OR MPAS, PROVIDE REFUGE FOR OCEAN WILDLIFE SUCH AS BLUE WHALES, WHITE SHARKS AND COMMERCIALLY VALUABLE ABALONE AND LOBSTER. THESE UNDERWATER PARKS ARE HOME TO TOWERING FORESTS OF GIANT KELP, THE RAINFORESTS OF THE SEA, WHICH GROW UNHINDERED FROM THE SEAFLOOR TO THE SURFACE. WILDCOAST IS LEADING EFFORTS TO HELP CONSERVE THESE MARINE REFUGES AND IMPROVE THE PROTECTION OF THE WORLDS LARGEST INTEGRATED NETWORK OF MPAS. THROUGH PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, POLICY DEVELOPMENT, MONITORING AND EDUCATION, WE ARE LEADING THE WAY TO ENSURE THAT CALIFORNIAS COASTLINE AND MARINE ENVIRONMENT IS AS SPECTACULAR IN THE FUTURE AS IT IS TODAY. WILDCOAST WAS A LEAD ORGANIZATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CALIFORNIAS MPA NETWORK AND NOW A CRITICAL PLAYER IN ITS IMPLEMENTATION. WILDCOAST, A CO-CHAIR OF THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY MPA COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVE, IS WORKING WITH ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, COASTAL ZONE MANAGERS, USER GROUPS, RESEARCHERS AND LOCAL TRIBES TO CONSERVE 17,779 ACRES OF MPAS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. THIS WORK INCLUDES DEVELOPING AND DISTRIBUTING BILINGUAL OUTREACH MATERIAL, ENGAGING YOUTH AND THE PUBLIC IN HANDS-ON MPA STEWARDSHIP ACTIVITIES AND WORKING WITH MANAGEMENT AND ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES TO IMPROVE MPA COMPLIANCE IN CALIFORNIA. 100 INTERPRETIVE PANELS INSTALLED AND MAINTAINED IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY MPAS ENGAGED 6,000 STUDENTS FROM LOCAL TRIBES AND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES IN MPA EDUCATIONAL AND STEWARDSHIP ACTIVITIES IN SAN DIEGO COUNTYUS-MEXICO BORDER IN 2020, WILDCOAST, WITH SUPPORT FROM THE BENIOFF OCEAN INITIATIVE, COCA COLA FOUNDATION, AND UC SANTA BARBARA, WORKED WITH THE MUNICIPALITY OF TIJUANA TO INSTALL A RETENTION DEVICE IN A TRIBUTARY CANYON OF THE TIJUANA RIVER TO CAPTURE OCEAN BOUND PLASTIC. WILDCOAST OBTAIN REQUIRED PERMITS, ENGINEERED AND BUILT THE SYSTEM, AND OUTREACHED TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY ABOUT THE PROJECT. THE BOOM WILL CAPTURE UP TO 25% OF OCEAN-BOUND TRASH COMING OUT OF THE TIJUANA RIVER. SAVING WILDERNESS ON THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULAIN PARTNERSHIP WITH MEXICOS NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR PROTECTED NATURAL AREAS (CONANP), FISHERMEN, LOCAL LANDOWNERS, MUNICIPALITIES AND RANCHERS, WILDCOAST IS HELPING TO IMPROVE THE CONSERVATION OF 10 MILLION ACRES OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULAS LARGEST INTACT COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS AND PROTECTED AREAS. THESE ARE SOME OF THE LAST WILDERNESS AREAS OF THIS SCALE LEFT ON NORTH AMERICAS PACIFIC COASTLINE. TO CONSERVE UNDEVELOPED BEACHES, SEA TURTLE NESTING SITES AND LAGOON SHORELINE ON THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA AND BAJAS PACIFIC COAST, WE HAVE PROTECTED, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CONANP, 1,327 MILES OF COASTLINE THROUGH FEDERAL ZONE CONSERVATION CONCESSIONS. WE ARE ALSO WORKING WITH CONANP TO MANAGE THE 6.3 MILLION-ACRE VIZCAINO BIOSPHERE RESERVE, A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE AND HOME TO TWO GRAY WHALE BREEDING LAGOONS, AND RESTORE 100 ACRES OF MANGROVES IN LAGUNA SAN IGNACIO. THROUGH DIRECT LAND PURCHASES AND CONSERVATION EASEMENTS, WILDCOAST HAS CONSERVED 51,936 ACRES AND 38 MILES OF WILDERNESS COASTLINE ON THE CENTRAL PACIFIC COAST OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA. IN 2020 WILDCOAST WILL PROTECT AN ADDITIONAL 1,000 ACRES AND ONE MILE OF COASTLINE IN THE REGION. WILDCOAST IS WORKING WITH MEXICOS NATIONAL PARK COMMISSION (CONANP) TO IMPROVE THE CONSERVATION OF THE 6.3 MILLION-ACRE VIZCAINO BIOSPHERE RESERVE THROUGH A MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATE AND DEVELOPING A CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION PROGRAM. MANGROVES: FORESTS OF LAND AND SEAWILDCOAST IS WORKING WITH MEXICOS COMMISSION FOR NATURAL PROTECTED AREAS AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO PROTECT OVER 60,000 ACRES OF MANGROVE FORESTS COVERING OVER 500 MILES OF COASTLINE IN NORTHWEST MEXICO. THROUGH CONSERVATION CONCESSIONS WE ARE SETTING ASIDE SOME OF THE MOST VULNERABLE MANGROVE FORESTS IN THESE AREAS FOR CONSERVATION. WE ARE HELPING LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES UPDATE LOCAL LAND USE PLANS TO INCLUDE STRONGER PROTECTIONS FOR COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS AND WE ARE EDUCATING LOCAL COMMUNITIES ABOUT THE IMPORTANT ECOSYSTEM SERVICES THAT MANGROVES PROVIDE. WILDCOAST IS PROTECTING OVER 60,000 ACRES OF MANGROVES AND 1,629 MILES OF COASTLINE IN NORTHWEST MEXICO THROUGH FEDERAL ZONE CONSERVATION CONCESSIONS. TO DATE, WILDCOAST HAS PROTECTED 8,454 ACRES OF MANGROVES AND 1,327 MILES OF COASTLINE THROUGH THIS EFFORT.WILDCOAST has restored 250 acres of mangrove forest in Laguna San Ignacio with the support of 50 local community members. DIRECTLY ENGAGED 300 COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND STUDENTS IN BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR IN CORAL REEF AND MANGROVE EDUCATION AND STEWARDSHIP ACTIVITIES CONSERVING CORAL REEFSWILDCOAST IS HELPING TO CONSERVE 37 million ACRES OF NATIONAL PARKS in MEXICO, WHICH ARE HOME TO SOME OF MEXICOS MOST IMPORTANT PACIFIC CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEMS. THE CABO PULMO NATIONAL PARK, ON THE TIP OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA, IS HOME TO THE NORTHERN MOST CORAL REEF IN THE NORTHEASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN AND ONE OF THE WORLDS MOST SUCCESSFUL MARINE PROTECTED AREAS. IT IS AN ECOLOGICAL CORNERSTONE IN THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA, PROVIDING HABITAT FOR WHALE SHARKS, MANTA RAYS, TROPICAL FISH AND SEA TURTLES. SIMILARLY, THE CORAL REEFS OF THE HUATULCO NATIONAL PARK IN OAXACA, CONTAIN INCREDIBLE DIVERSITY, WITH AN ESTIMATED 192 SPECIES OF FISH. WILDCOAST IS WORKING WITH PARK STAFF AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN CABO PULMO AND HUATULCO TO HELP BUILD ON-SITE CAPACITY TO MANAGE THEIR CORAL REEFS AND SURROUNDING PROTECTED AREAS. WE ARE SUPPORTING REEF MONITORING EFFORTS TO GAUGE ECOSYSTEM HEALTH AND WE ARE HELPING TO IMPROVE VISITATION BEST PRACTICES IN BOTH NATIONAL PARKS. THROUGH BEACH AND REEF CLEANUPS, FESTIVALS, MEDIA CAMPAIGNS, LOCAL WORKSHOPS, AND COMMUNITY MURALS, WE ARE BUILDING INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF CORAL REEFS AS A CONSERVATION PRIORITY AND WE ARE ENGAGING COMMUNITIES DIRECTLY IN THEIR PROTECTION. WILDCOAST IS WORKING WITH CONANP TO STRENGTHEN VISITATION MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING FOR 483 ACRES OF CORAL REEFS IN THE CABO PULMO AND HUATULCO NATIONAL PARKS AND 9.3 MILES OF CRITICAL OLIVE RIDLEY SEA TURTLE NESTING BEACH IN OAXACA. WILDCOAST IS CONTRIBUTING TO THE CONSERVATION OF THESE AREAS THROUGH WORKSHOPS, PUBLIC OUTREACH SUCH AS SIGNAGE, MONITORING EQUIPMENT AND MOORING BUOYS. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MEXICOS NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR PROTECTED NATURAL AREAS (CONANP), WE DISTRIBUTED 2,000 WILDLIFE AND DIVE GUIDES FOR THE 17,572 ACRE CABO PULMO NATIONAL PARK (CPNP) CARRIED OUT CORAL REEF OBSERVATION AND VISITATION MANAGEMENT TRAININGS WITH 20 TOUR GUIDES IN CABO PULMO AND CABO SAN LUCAS: SIGNED AN AGREEMENT WITH SIX PROTECTED AREAS TO STANDARDIZE CORAL REEF MONITORING METHODS; AND CARRIED OUT THREE MONITORING SURVEYS IN THE CPNP SEA TURTLESIN ADDITION TO ITS VIBRANT CULTURE AND FRIENDLY PEOPLE, THE OAXACA COASTLINE IS HOME TO MANGROVES, DRY TROPICAL FOREST, CORAL REEFS, WETLANDS AND SOME OF THE WORLDS MOST IMPORTANT SEA TURTLE NESTING BEACHES. MORRO AYUTA, BETWEEN SALINA CRUZ AND HUATULCO, IS THE REGIONS LARGEST NESTING BEACH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SITES IN THE WORLD FOR THE PRESERVATION OF OLIVE RIDLEY SEA TURTLES. WILDCOAST IS WORKING DIRECTLY IN OAXACA WITH MEXICOS NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR PROTECTED NATURAL AREAS AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO PROTECT MORRO AYUTA AND NEIGHBORING NESTING BEACHES. IN 2015, WE DEVELOPED A SEA TURTLE DRONE MONITORING PROGRAM WITH THE MEXICAN SEA TURTLE CENTER TO BETTER UNDERSTAND SEA TURTLE POPULATIONS, VISITATION AND DISTRIBUTION. WE ARE ENGAGING HUNDREDS OF LOCAL CHILDREN IN SEA TURTLE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES AND HAVE DEVELOPED A LOCAL SEA TURTLE OIL SPILL RESPONSE TEAM. ADDITIONALLY, WE ARE PROMOTING MORRO AYUTA AS A WETLAND OF INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE (RAMSAR SITE) TO RECOGNIZE ITS ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE ON A GLOBAL SCALE. CLIMATE CHANGEOUR OCEANS PLAY AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN REGULATING EARTHS CLIMATE. IN ADDITION TO FOOD, LIVELIHOODS AND ENJOYMENT, THEY PROVIDE US WITH THE AIR WE BREATHE. IN FACT, SEVENTY PERCENT OF THE PLANETS OXYGEN IS PRODUCED BY OUR OCEANS. THEY ARE ALSO THE PLANETS LARGEST RESERVOIR OF CARBON DIOXIDE, STORING ABOUT HALF OF THE WORLDS EMISSIONS SINCE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. AS THE OCEANS BECOME "FULL" OF CARBON DIOXIDE, THE RATE AT WHICH THEY CAN CONTINUE TO ABSORB CARBON DIOXIDE SLOWS, RESULTING IN MORE CARBON DIOXIDE REMAINING IN THE ATMOSPHERE AND AFFECTING OUR CLIMATE. THE IMPACTS OF ABSORBING SUCH HUGE AMOUNTS OF CARBON DIOXIDE AND HEAT INCLUDE OCEAN ACIDIFICATION, SEA LEVEL RISE, DISRUPTED MARINE FOOD WEBS AND HARSHER STORMS AMONG MANY OTHER UNFORESEEABLE CONSEQUENCES. WILDCOASTS WORK TO PROTECT CORAL REEFS, MANGROVES AND UNDISTURBED SHORELINE IN CALIFORNIA AND MEXICO IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE MECHANISM WE HAVE TO SLOW THE IMPACTS GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE, IN ADDITION TO REDUCING OUR CARBON EMISSIONS. THE PLACES THAT WE WORK ARE AMONG THE MOST VULNERABLE IN THE WORLD TO THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE BUT ARE ALSO THE MOST EFFECTIVE AT MITIGATING THESE CHANGES. OUR WORK TO STRENGTHEN NATURAL PROTECTED AREAS, DEVELOP AND IMPROVE LAND-USE PLANNING AND ADVANCE PUBLGeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$1.6MCoastal and Marine Conservation Initiatives
WILDCOAST, founded in 2000, is an international team that conserves coastal and marine ecosystems and addresses climate change through natural solutions. To achieve our mission, we establish and manage protected areas, protect and restore blue carbon ecosystems, and partner with local communities, governments, and the private sector.COSTASALVAJE, WILDCOASTs Mexico division, was established in 2008, and we are currently a registered tax-deductible, non-profit organization in both the United States and Mexico. We have a staff of 28 spread among offices in San Diego, Tijuana, Ensenada, La Paz, Oaxaca, and Mexico City.Natural Climate SolutionsMexico:Through legal protection and management, we are conserving and restoring 32,189 acres of mangrove forests in the Mexican states of Baja California Sur and Oaxaca that store 13 million tons of carbon. In the process, we are helping to create hundreds of local jobs restoring these mangrove forests that help address the climate crisis. We collaborate with groups of women from five regions of Mexico to train and equip them with the knowledge to carry out mangrove conservation and restoration in their local communities. We have planted over 178,000 mangrove seedlings, restoring 271 acres with local women from Laguna San Ignacio, Baja California Sur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the worlds most pristine gray whale breeding lagoon.California:In Southern California, we are restoring 50.5 acres of wetlands that currently store over 3,000 tons of carbon and sequester roughly 40 tons of carbon every year. We partner with Scripps Institution of Oceanography to measure the amount of carbon stored in the sediment of coastal wetlands. We have gathered over 500 samples of blue carbon in five San Diego County wetlands that help us inform conservation policy and restoration.We also co-lead the Blue Carbon Collaborative with our partners at Coastal Quest, an international community of stakeholders that work together to align and advance blue carbon initiatives.California Marine Protected AreasWe help to manage and conserve 545,280 acres of marine protected areas off California's coast through innovative compliance initiatives such as the MPA Watch community science program and Tidepool Ambassador Program. We have deployed three Marine Monitor (M2) RADAR units adjacent to 14,534 acres of San Diego County MPAs and provide data to local wardens and the District Attorneys office. Coral ReefsWe are strengthening the management of 38.6 million acres of protected areas that are home to more than 1,611 acres of coral reef ecosystems of the Mexican Pacific. These coral reefs produce up to 38,000 tons of marine life per acre that end up in adjacent fishing areas each year. To safeguard these critical marine ecosystems, we monitor coral reefs across nine marine protected areas in Mexico, promote reef stewardship, and educate communities and tourism outfitters about the importance of healthy and thriving coral reef ecosystems. We have also installed 220 conservation buoys that help protect reefs in Mexico by providing vessels with a safe place to anchor, rather than dropping anchor on the reef.Marine DebrisSince 2021, our trash boom in Tijuana near the US-Mexico border, the first-ever solid waste retention system in Mexico, has stopped 200,000+ pounds of plastic and debris from reaching the Pacific Ocean and contaminating a bi-national network of coastal, marine, and island protected areas. We plan to install a second trash boom in the El Pato neighborhood of Tijuana in late 2024 that will collect an additional 3,000 lbs of trash every month. Sea TurtlesIn Oaxaca, Mexico, we protect 22.5 miles of coastline and monitor arribadas (mass sea turtle nesting events) at Escobilla and Morro Ayuta beaches, the two most important olive ridley sea turtle nesting beaches in the world, where more than 2.5 million turtles have laid eggs and more than 72 million eggs have hatched since 2017. Additionally, WILDCOAST successfully advocated for the creation of the 224-acre Morro Ayuta Sanctuary, declared on January 8th, 2024, that will provide even greater protection for nesting turtles. WildlandsIn order to conserve the last remaining coastal wilderness along the Pacific coast of the Baja California Peninsula, we established the WILDCOAST Valle de los Cirios Coastal Reserve through private land acquisition and conservation easements. The reserve consists of 39.5 miles of coastline and 51,938.5 acres of desert wilderness, making it the largest private coastal conservation reserve in all of northwest Mexico and the Californias.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2023 – Dec 31, 2023Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$2.8M
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