WILDCOAST
The ocean sustains all life on Earth and plays a fundamental role in mitigating the impacts of climate change. Together, we can stop the destruction of our blue planet, generate sustainable economic opportunities, and build resilient coastlines.
Serge Dedina – Executive Director, WILDCOAST
Why I Support Them
Rather than focus on trying to restore what humans have damaged, WILDCOAST puts their effort into making sure we protect nature in the first place! They have had amazing success in protecting valuable coastal ecosystems and the marine life that depend on them.
What makes it all the more impressive is that they are doing this across national borders! Nature knows no boundaries so international conservation efforts are essential for conservation.
And to ensure that these natural areas remain protected, WILDCOAST works with local communities and involves them in the conservation process. Only with the cooperation of all stakeholders can conservation efforts last and WILDCOAST is setting a great example! Thank you for all that you are doing for the ocean and its residents!
How They Help the Ocean
WILDCOAST conserves coastal and marine ecosystems and addresses climate change through natural solutions. WILDCOAST was established by Serge Dedina, PhD and Wallace J Nicols and has grown into a team of 20 binational conservationists in California and Mexico. Since 2000, WILDCOAST has protected and conserved 37 million acres of iconic and globally important coastal and ocean habitats, islands, coral reefs, wetlands, wildlands, sea turtle nesting beaches and gray whale lagoons. WILDCOAST carries out its mission through three strategies: 1) Establish and manage protected areas; 2) Advance conservation policies; and 3) Engage local communities as conservation stewards.
WILDCOAST helped establish and now helps manage 545,280 acres of marine protected areas (MPAs) off the coast of California from the Tijuana to the Oregon border. These MPAs, the world’s largest network of underwater reserves, are home to rocky reefs, towering kelp forests, submarine canyons, sea grass marshes and diverse marine life. MPAs are habitats for seals and seal lion colonies, sharks, dolphins, colorful gastropods, myriad fish and more, and protect and feed migratory species like gray whales, dolphins, sharks turtles and more..
In Mexico, Laguna San Ignacio, the world’s last undeveloped gray whale breeding lagoon, is permanently protected by WILDCOAST and the Laguna San Ignacio Conservation Alliance. Since then more than 260 miles and 450,000 acres of its shoreline and mangroves have been protected. We are also managing and protecting Mexico’s coral reefs, creating baselines for scientific studies and ecological monitoring, creating best practices guides for tour operators, teaching reef stewardship to students, protecting endangered coral species, installing buoys to reduce coral breakage from anchors and more.
Why Their Work is Important
Our oceans and their inhabitants are under grave threat from human pollution, climate change, and overfishing. Our work focuses on mitigating climate change, conserving critical ocean and coastal ecosystems, reducing pollution, and educating people about the wonders of the ocean.
WILDCOAST’s successes include:
- Conserving 37 million acres of iconic and globally important coastlines, ocean habitat, coral reefs, gray whale breeding lagoons, sea turtle nesting beaches, wetlands, and islands.
- Conserving 49,787 acres of mangroves and other wetlands in Baja California and the Gulf of California conserved through conservation concessions.
- Pioneering blue carbon work by restoring and planting mangroves and revitalizing wetlands as natural solutions to climate change as these ecosystems serve as carbon sinks.
- Protecting the olive ridley sea turtle as on our protected 9.3 mile nesting beach in Oaxaca more than 58 million olive ridley sea turtle hatchlings have been born in the past 4 years, reviving the nearly decimated species.
- Protecting 1,471 miles of sea turtle nesting beaches, gray whale breeding lagoons, islands, and coastal wilderness areas in Mexico protected through land purchases, easements and concessions
- Defending Cabo Pulmo on Baja’s East Cape from development and effectively protecting an underwater reserve where the fish have come back by 460%.
- Managing 545,280 acres of ocean habitat / marine protected areas off California
- Preventing more than 12,000 pounds of plastic and debris from entering the Pacific Ocean with our newly installed trash boom in the Tijuana River Valley.
- Engaged more than 150,000 community members and 16,000 low income and tribal students as ocean and coastal stewards.