Sand Dune Restoration
Activity: Restoring sand dunes in a stretch one kilometer long.
Contribution planned: Public education sessions and signing up volunteers for invasive species removal.
Maps of the seashore show a swath of sand dune extending on either side of urban Loreto and of the marine protected areas of the bay. It consists of sand and native species of plants and animal species (crustaceans, etc.) that work as the main filter for all the liquids that originate in the urban areas of Loreto. The sand dunes also protect the urban areas from wave action during hurricanes and storm events. This critical habitat is a biological corridor allowing the safe migration of birds, reptiles and small mammals between their foraging areas and reproductive zones. It is the safety net to diminish harmful runoff into the marine park and the sea.
The sand dunes lie in the federal maritime zone, which includes ”lands gained from the sea.” They form an "influence zone," which is a legal term for an area adjacent to the marine park that must be protected to ensure that the urban area does not encroach on nest sites for sea turtles or migrating shore birds or on other features of the delicate marine park environment. It also supports a diversity of species endemic to Loreto and Baja California Sur. Some of the plants are edible and are used in the traditional local cuisine. The sand dunes of Loreto are a direct reminder that we must be good neighbors to all living beings in the desert and in the marine environment.
African buffel grass is an invasive sand dune species.
The current work of the Keep Loreto Magical Foundation includes ongoing removal of exotic and invasive species such as buffel grass from Africa. Because these are replaced with native grasses such as salt grass and other nitrogen-fixing plants, the restoration goal has given rise to a new landscaping business in native species restoration and sand dune restoration. Together, the volunteer labour and the paid replanting work strengthen the protection of the coastline and the diversity of marine and land species while giving protection to the adjacent urban areas and enhancing the natural beauty of Loreto.
It is critically important that the National Commission for Protected Areas, which is another body of the federal government of Mexico, has created a natural protected area just for this zone called “acuerdos de destino.” The effect is to exclude both construction and temporary concessions from the zone.
Our foundation’s activity for this year is twofold: to continue raising awareness among community members that they are stakeholders in the protection of the sand dunes and to continue mustering volunteer labor to restore the sand dunes in the federal zone until we have completely protected the shoreline of Nopolo.