The Problem

The Baja California Peninsula is one of the most unique desert regions on earth.  The in­terplay of biological elements, complex geology, and the surrounding ocean environment yield an extraordinary web of marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Undisturbed beaches, expansive lagoons, bays, headlands and barrier islands provide habitat to a rich assortment of endemic, endangered and threatened plant and animal species. The uninterrupted ecosystems of the peninsula are a rare commodity in the world and are disappearing at an alarming rate. Despite such close proximity to Southern California, many coastal areas on the peninsula remain completely untouched. Unfortunately, rapacious and poorly planned development projects are a real and continuous threat to the natural coastal landscape of even the most undisturbed corners of the Baja California Peninsula. Large industrial and tourism development projects, such as the ESSA salt extraction ventures of the Vizcaino desert, the Escalera Nautica proposal, Liquid Natural Gas terminals and shorefront high rise condominium development, are putting the peninsula’s coastal areas under significant risk of environmental destruction and could signify the loss of important ecosystem services.