Building Sustainable Economic Opportunity in the Local Community.
Magnificent Magdalena Bay™
“MagBay” is MarVivo’s first mangrove preservation site and is a project organized not only to conserve the ecological health of the area’s pristine mangrove forests and protect the abundant marine life dependent on them, but also endeavoring to provide lasting economic growth to the communities living within and dependent on the conservation area.
Magdalena Bay is home to Baja’s largest mangrove forest creating an incredibly diverse and unique ecosystem known for its congregation of Gray Whales each year. The Baja peninsula is one of the few remaining marine systems on Earth with a high biomass and high biodiversity. Magdalena Bay is at the epicenter of this biodiversity hotspot
MarVivo and Magnificent Magdalena Bay
Sustainable Economic Initiatives Through REDD+
REDD+ is a United Nations-backed framework that aims to curb climate change by stopping the destruction of forests.
REDD+ projects pursue long-term strategies for addressing the underlying causes of deforestation and degradation . They consider the needs of business, society and the environment together, striking a sustainable balance that does not put the developing world’s right for economic growth at odds with our collective need to protect our planet’s fragile ecosystem.
In essence, REDD+ is the framework through which countries, the private sector, investment funds and others can pay communities to not cut down their forests.
The MarVivo Project is a coalition including CONANP and the communities of Magdalena Bay to promote community-based mangrove management in combination with wildlife conservation through programs that benefit communities, wildlife and ecologically important habitats.
Conservation of Endangered Species
Magdalena Bay’s abundance of mangrove forests shelters unique biodiversity which includes multiple species listed on the IUCN Red List.
Shortfin and Longfin Mako Shark
Mobula Ray
Scalloped Hammerhead Shark
Smooth Hammerhead Shark
Blue Shark
Striped Marlin
Silky Shark
Pacific Green Sea Turtle
Loggerhead Turtle
The Baja Peninsula and Sea of Cortez’s Mangrove forests have been identified as pupping grounds for 6+ species of sharks. Magdalena Bay in particular is frequented by many species of sharks including Mako sharks, Blue sharks, Hammerhead sharks and Silky sharks, all of which are particularly vulnerable to shark fishing.
Pressures on marine ecosystems from social, economic, political activities, as well as climate-change, are already severe and Human activities often undermine the resilience of the marine ecosystems upon which we depend for food and income.
Protecting Mangroves and Sharks
Many marine species are endangered due to overfishing. By building sustainable ecotourism businesses in MagBay and eliminating overfishing, these animals can begin to recover their populations. They are #WorthMoreAlive
If we are to save the oceans, we must save MANGROVES and SHARKS. Marine ecosystems depend particularly on conserving the bottom (mangroves) and the top (sharks) trophic levels of the food chain.
Learn more about the dangers of a trophic cascade in MarVivo’s Conservation Thesis.