Marine Life in Cabo Pulmo National Park (Credit: Dr Octavio Aburto)
The Cabo Pulmo National Park is a world-renowned success story of community-lead, participatory marine management. Today, Cabo Pulmo is one of the most biodiverse and important marine ecosystems in the Gulf of California. For many years this precious place went unprotected and by the mid-nineties the marine environment had declined far enough to threaten the major source of income to the local fishing community. In recognition of Cabo Pulmo’s ecological importance, local fishermen and researchers banded together and lobbied the authorities to officially protect the area. As a result, it was declared as the Cabo Pulmo National Park in 1995. Ten years later it was recognized as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site and was subsequently declared by the RAMSAR Convention as a wetland of international importance.
The switch from fishing to tourism has strengthened the bond between the local community and marine ecosystem and produced a thriving and sustainable economy. As much as sites like Cabo Pulmo mean to the thousands of tourists that pass through them, the environment means far more to the locals who grow up with and rely on the region and its resources.
