ELAW Impact: Protecting Whale Breeding Grounds in Baja California

A baby gray whale near San Ignacio Lagoon, Mexico. PHOTO: Fernando Ochoa

Each year, gray whales travel from the Chukchi and Bering Seas to shelter and breed in Baja`s Guerrero Negro, San Ignacio, and Bahia Magdalena lagoons. The United Nations designated San Ignacio whale sanctuary a World Heritage Site in 1993.

Early in 2006, developers proposed to turn these fragile fishing grounds into a large marina with a yacht club and a pier for cruise ships. ELAW reviewed the environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for these projects and found that plans to dredge La Bocana and build a jetty in Punta Abreojos, on Baja’s west coast, were flawed and threatened wetlands near whale breeding grounds.

ELAW partners at Defensa Ambiental del Noroeste (DAN) and Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental (CEMDA) used our analysis to challenge plans for the ill-advised marina and jetty.

In response to this challenge, Mexico’s environmental agency, SEMARNAT, demanded more information from the developers. When the developers failed to provide the additional information, SEMARNAT terminated the project.

Fernando Ochoa, DAN General Director, wrote to ELAW partners around the world: "I want to give special thanks to ELAW scientists Meche and Mark for their hard and excellent work! They are true heroes!"

The developers have since resurrected the project and submitted a new EIA to Mexico`s environmental agency. ELAW partners in Mexico have again asked ELAW to help critique the EIA, identify the true impacts of the proposed project, and make the case that decision-makers in Mexico should reject the proposed development.

Fernando says, "Definitely having `won` the first time puts us in a strong position . . . the project is still ill-advised and with ELAW`s help we will protect the whale breeding grounds."