Located in front of the state of Nayaritin the Gulf of Californiathe Isabel Island National Park is consecrated as Natural Protected Area since 1980, but only on January 8 the Mexican government extended this protection to 31,695 hectares.
Pronatura Noroeste The achievement is the result of years of uninterrupted efforts aimed at expanding the conservation of the marine biodiversity around this island and its islets.
The agency indicates that the Isabel Island National Park and its 10 islets is an ecological treasure of invaluable importance that was consecrated as a PNA in December 1980 due to its incalculable ecological value. It has also been recognized by the UNESCO as a priority site and is included on the list of RAMSAR sites in 2003, focused on the preservation of wetlands and marine areas.
Mauricio Cortéscoordinator of Nayarit, Jalisco and Colima of Pronatura NoroesteThe work to achieve the expansion of this PNA began in 2015, with the Preliminary Justification Study (PJS) of the marine part.
"We started with a space of 3 nautical miles, but at the request of coastal fishermen and tourism service providers, it was extended to 6 nautical miles, since they include the submarine shallows that are important for their activities. Since then we kept working until 2024 when the political will to make it a reality was accommodated", he comments.
The benefits of expanding the ANP
Among the benefits of extending the protection zone for the Isabel Island National Park The "shallows" (underwater mountains), coral reefs, rocky reefs and rhodoliths (red calcareous algae mats), which provide habitat for hundreds of marine species and contribute enormously to the carbon sequestrationwhich contributes to mitigate the effects of the global warming.
Also benefiting are more than 120 species of sea birds which nest on Isabel Island and depend entirely on the sea for food and to feed their chicks, in addition to the cetaceans that use this marine corridor during their migrations.
Pronatura Noroeste stresses that the families that depend on the coastal fishing will also benefit because this zone will protect huachinango, snapper, sierra and lobster fisheries, among others, guaranteeing the sustainability of this activity.
"The expansion of the protection area in Isla Isabel National Park represents a milestone in the conservation of unique marine ecosystems. This step not only strengthens preservation measures, but also emphasizes the importance of collaboration and continued commitment to the protection of our priceless natural heritage," states Pronatura Noroeste.
CONANP, the management of Isla Isabel National Park, the fishing communities and tourism service providers of San Blas and Santiago Ixcuintla, the Autonomous University of Nayarit, the National School of Fishing Engineering, as well as federal and state authorities joined forces in the task of extending the protection of this PNA.
Source: Pronatura Noroeste
