San Pedro Martir is the most oceanic island on the Gulf of California. This small piece of land of only 1.7 Km2 is separated by other islands’ deep submarine canyons, the coast of Sonora and the Baja California peninsula, and is located at the core of one of the richest and most productive areas on the Gulf of California.

The result of its location is what we could call “a forest amidst the desert”; a place where sperm whales, dolphins, sea lions, turtles, the largest booby colony, pelicans, tropical birds, and a variety of fish and sharks eagerly use the habitat and take advantage of its abundant resources.

Ironically, the isolation that provides San Pedro its unique beauty also makes it an extremely fragile ecosystem. As compared to smaller neighboring islands and the continent, animal populations in San Pedro are much smaller and more isolated. If a species of fish, sea pen shell, or lobster becomes exhausted here, its recovery will take much longer than in any other place. This is why San Pedro Martir Island is extremely vulnerable to human activities and is also a fascinating lab to better understand the interaction between humans and nature.

In collaboration with the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Gulf of California), and Bahia Kino fishers’ we are trying to create a model reserve where users and nature are integrated in order to achieve the conservation of the biological richness of this island.

For more information please download the brochure about San Pedro Martir.