Protected Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California

Protected Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California

By Dr. Kyle Muller

The Gulf of California is located northwest of Mexico, a country to which it belongs. It has an extension of 258,593 km² of surface and was declared as a natural world heritage by UNESCO in 2005. In addition to being an area visited for tourist and recreational purposes, it is one of the most productive ecosystems on the planet, it is home to 36 species of marine mammals, 31 species of cetaceans, more than 700 species of fish, 5 species of sea turtles and more than 6,000 species of invertebrate macro.

Therefore and much more, currently the Gulf of California has 12 protected natural areas. If you want to know what are the Protected Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of Californiado not miss this ecology article.

Bahía de Loreto National Park

It is a protected area that is located in Baja California Sur and Understand five islands. The park presents a great diversity of types of environments, among which are:

  • Coast-marine with rocky and sandy funds
  • Beaches
  • Cañadas
  • Marine terraces
  • Submarine cannons

The great diversity of habitats translates into the diversity of species, among them we find the world’s largest mammal, The blue whale (BALENAPTERA MUSCULUS). Discover why the blue whale is in danger of extinction.

Other endemic species of the islands are:

  • Basacalifornian mask (Geothlypis Beldingi).
  • Basacalifornian hummingbird (Basilinna Xantusii). You may be interested in hummingbird reproduction.
  • Bocón Blue Spots (Opistognathus Rosenblatti).
  • CUITLACoche BajaCaliforniano (Toxostoma cinereum).

Islands and protected areas of the Gulf of California - Bahía de Loreto National Park

Flora and Fauna Protection Area Islands of the Gulf of California

Located in the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa and Nayarit, is a set of almost 900 islands, islets and coastal areas. These islands include one of the greatest natural wealth of Mexico, since it houses a large number of endemic species and is the site of reproduction and rest of numerous seabirds.

Some of the endemic species are:

  • Biznaga of Poselger (Mammillaria Poselgeri)
  • Sinaloense crow (Corvus Sinaloae)
  • Mexican mule bat (Corynorhinus Mexicanus)
  • Santa Catalina rattlesnake (Crotalus catalinensis)
  • ESPINOSA IGUANA DE SONORA (Ctenosaura femilopha)

While the area is in a good state of conservation, it has a high degree of vulnerability in front of anthropic activities. We recommend reading this article about anthropic erosion: what is and examples.

Cabo Pulmo National Park

It is located in Baja California Sur, it is a place of great importance within the Gulf of California given the numerous marine species that houses. In addition, one of the only coral reefs of the Eastern Pacific and the only one in the Gulf of California is located.

Islands and protected areas of the Gulf of California - Cabo Pulmo National Park

Flora and Fauna Protection Area Cabo San Lucas

The protected area is located in the state of Baja California Sur and It includes its majority maritime surface (95%) and approximately 208 hectares of earthly surface. More than 800 species of flora and fauna inhabit, of which 13 are exotic and 50 are under some degree of danger. One of the microendemic species in the area is the BajaCalifornian rattlesnake (Crotalus iny).

Know the poisonous animals of Mexico.

Isla Mártir Biosphere Reserve

It is located in the state of Sonora and in addition to being categorized as a biosphere reserve, it was recognized as Ramsar site. There are several habitats of forests and reefs and is one of the best preserved sites of the Gulf of California, which is why it is considered “model” of adaptation and evolution study.

With a total of 292 registered species of flora and faunapresents a great biological wealth, 42 of these species have some degree of protection. Some microendemic species are:

  • Lagartija whip tail (Aspidoscelis Martyris)
  • Black Real Culebra (LAMPROPELTIS GETULUS NIGRITUS)
  • Spotted side lizard (Uta Nolascensis)

Alto Gulf Biosphere Reserve of California and Delta del Río Colorado

It is located in the states of Baja California and Sonora. In this area we can find three types of habitats:

  • Sludge plains
  • Sandy beaches
  • Santa Clara Ciénega Broker System

The sand beaches house 36 species of shirts and more than 160,000 individuals a year, including 35% of the Pacific reddish beach population (Calidris Canutus Roselaari).

You may also be interested in this article about migratory birds: names and photos.

Protected Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California - Biosphere Reserve Gulf de California and Delta del Río Colorado

Biosphere Reserve Islas Marías

It is located in the state of Nayarit and is made up of four islands. In this protected natural area are endemic species such as the yellow head parrot (Amazona Oratrix) and endangered species such as Carey turtle (Imbricata eretmochelys). You may be interested in in danger of extinction.

In addition, it is the Dolphin five species home:

  • Chato Dolphin (GRAMPUS GRUSEUS)
  • Mottled dolphin (STETELLA FRONTALIS)
  • Dolphin screw (STETELLA LONGIROSTRIS)
  • Dolphin rough tooth (Steno Bredanensis)
  • Bottle nose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

We recommend you read the characteristics of the dolphins.

Islands and protected areas of the Gulf of California - Biosphere Reserve Islas Marías

Isabel Isabel National Park

It is located in the state of Nayarit. It has Great diversity of ecosystems such as lagoons, beaches, coastline, slope and mangroves, in addition to species such as the whale shark (Rhincodon Typus), The Café Pelican (Pelecanus Occidentalis) and the blue -legged dumb (Sula Nebouxii), which are considered park flag species.

It is one of the most important areas in the Pacific Ocean for Sea birdssince there they find shelter, food, mate of mating and nesting.

Discover aquatic birds: characteristics, types and names.

Baland Flora and Fauna Protection Area

It is located in the state of Baja California Sur. It is a Great coastal wetlandin the terrestrial portion there are habitats such as slopes, streams and alluvial plains, and connects with the marine portion by means of salitrales, mangroves, dunes and beaches. The Balandra maritime area constitutes an important habitat for bivalve mollusks.

We recommend reading this article about mollusks: characteristics, types and examples.

Islands and protected areas of the Gulf of California - Flora and Fauna Balandra Protection Area

Marino National Park San Lorenzo Archipelago

It covers a exclusively marine area located in the state of Baja California. It is of great importance due to its biodiversity of marine flora and fauna and high fishing productivity. It is an ecosystem that houses species that are under some category of risk or protection, in addition to providing refuge and food for numerous species of marine mammals, turtles and birds.

MARIETAS ISLAS NATIONAL PARK

It is located in the state of Nayarit, it is a Archipelago constituted by two islands, two islets and two rocks. It covers a marine and land portion, in which rivers, coastal lagoons, fresh water and estuaries are found. This site was declared as a protected natural area against the high environmental deterioration caused by tourism activity.

Biosphere Reserve El Vizcaíno

It is located in the state of Baja California Sur. In the area we can find mountains, plains and coastal areas, in many cases with endemic species that have developed unique characteristics to adapt to such environments. In this place The whale sanctuary is also foundsince they are areas where every year, large populations of gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) seen for breed.

Now that you know the islands and protected areas of the Gulf of California, you may also be interested in this ecology article on the flora and fauna of Baja California.

Islands and protected areas of the Gulf of California - El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve

If you want to read more articles similar to Protected Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of Californiawe recommend that you enter our category of other environment.

Literature
  • Government of Mexico. Available at: https://www.gob.mx/
  • California Gulf. Wwf. Available at: https://www.wwf.org.mx/que_hacemos/programs/golfo_california/
  • Islands and protected areas of the Gulf of California. UNESCO. Available at: https: //whc.unesco.org/es/list/1182https: //ilamdir.org/recurso/2761/%C3%A1rea-de-protecci%C3%B3n-de-flora-y-fauna-islas-del-golfo-de-california
  • Green list of protected and preserved areas of IUCN. Available at: https: //iucngreenlist.org/es/
  • Hemispheric network of reserves for shirts. Available at: https: //whsrn.org/es/
Kyle Muller
About the author
Dr. Kyle Muller
Dr. Kyle Mueller is a Research Analyst at the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department in Houston, Texas. He earned his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Texas State University in 2019, where his dissertation was supervised by Dr. Scott Bowman. Dr. Mueller's research focuses on juvenile justice policies and evidence-based interventions aimed at reducing recidivism among youth offenders. His work has been instrumental in shaping data-driven strategies within the juvenile justice system, emphasizing rehabilitation and community engagement.
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