How to protect the sea
The Dos Mares Biosphere Reserve 🌊
Dear earthlings,
Not all heroes wear capes. Below an inspirational story of the unsung heroes behind one of the world’s most successful Marine Protected Areas: the Revillagigedo National Park in Mexico.
🗞️ In Climate News
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🌊 Seven killed in Bhutan as floods wash away part of hydropower plant.
🌡️South Florida ocean temperature reach 38°C, potentially a record.
🇺🇸 Colorado River has lost 10tn gallons of water since 2000 due to climate crisis.
💦 Gulf Stream could collapse as early as 2025, study suggests.
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⛏️ Deep Sea Mining negotiations in Kingston end with NO go ahead from the ISA.
🌊 31,000 evacuated in Beijing, China after incessant heavy floods.
📈 Cool Trends
♾️ eco-stories
🌊The Making of a Biosphere Reserve
“Marine regulations in Mexico either have their origin in the fishing law or in environmental rules. Historically, the fishing industry has always influenced regulation to the point that fishing laws were pretty much written by the industrial tuna companies, that of course protected their interests above all. And in the case of the environmental laws, well, those laws were drafted in my house.”
I met Mario Gomez on a warm February morning in the restaurant of the La Catedral hotel in La Paz, Mexico. He was in between important visits — meeting a seventh generation shark fishing community in Agua Amarga and then speaking at the Our Ocean Conference in Panama — so I felt fortunate to cross paths with him and his team and join their weekly breakfast briefing.
Mario runs a myriad of organisations, all working together to achieve the same final goal: increase the amount of functioning Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Mexico. It all started with his work in his public policy in the 80s.
"In the 80s I was part of an ardent group of activists, we were all friends. Mostly we worked to protect Mexico's forests and jungles. During that time we thought it was necessary for the Mexican government to establish a Ministry for the Environment and Natural Resources, including fishing. This is how Beta Diversidad was eventually formed, essentially it is a policy lobbying NGO. Eventually through this governmental work, we were part of the long process that established the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas of Mexico (CONANP). This is the governmental body that now has the ability to operate and administrate Mexico's protected areas. Within these there are seven different categories: Voluntary Conservation Area; Sanctuary; Natural Monument; Protected Area of Natural Resources; Protected Areas of Flora and Fauna; Biosphere Reserve; and National Park. Then within our activist group we each chose an area to focus our public policy work on, I chose the oceans.”
As we sit down for breakfast, Mario has an easy yet commanding demeanor. In classic Mexican hospitality he offers me anything from the menu. The team begins to order every style of egg available. We are 12 people, and every so often someone walks by and stops to catch up with Mario. Clearly he is a very admired and known figure within the community. I already knew that he had been instrumental in establishing the Revillagigedo National Park (Revi), North America’s largest no-take MPA. It has been a dream of mine to explore Revillagigedo’s underwater beauties for years. Revi is on every experienced diver’s bucket list and sits on top of mine. So I asked him, how did he achieve that?
🌏 The Culture Club
📺 What we’re watching: A Sea of Hope: Giant Mantas of Mexico
📸 Profile of the week: @betadiversidad
📚 What we’re reading: Creaturely Migrations on a Breathing Planet, Essay by David Abram
🤯 Scary fact we learnt this week: Ocean temperatures in Florida are so hot, scientists are taking corals out.