Climate Change

Blue carbon ecosystems like mangroves, salt marsh, and seagrass beds play a critical role in mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change.

Image Credit: Benito Sanchez Rojas

Mitigate to protect

Cities and regions that mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change experience far less destruction from natural disasters.

Image Credit: Miguel Angel de la Cueva

With the dramatic rise in destructive hurricanes, floods and wildfires worldwide, it is more important than ever to protect mangroves, coral reefs, kelp forests, estuaries and beaches. These ecosystems all serve critical functions in regulating our global climate, protecting coastal communities and iconic wildlife, and driving fundamental life processes.

WILDCOAST works to conserve these natural barriers that are essential to safeguarding people and wildlife against the very real and growing threat of climate change.

Protect

We protect mangroves and climate resilient shorelines in California, Mexico and Cuba through the establishment and management of protected areas, federal zone concessions, Blue Carbon initiatives, outreach and education.

Partner

We are working with Mexico's National Commission for Natural Protected Areas, Griffith University, researchers and local communities to address climate change across all of our initiatives.

Where We Work

Across all of our conservation programs we are committed to efforts to address and mitigate climate change impacts by protecting globally significant coastal and marine ecosystems.

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Our Impact

8,500

acres of blue carbon ecosystems conserved in California and Mexico

1,347

miles of shoreline conserved in Mexico, buffering coastal ecosystems and communities

19.5

million tons of atmospheric carbon stored in WILDCOAST’s mangrove conservation sites along the Pacific Coast of Mexico

5

times more carbon stored in mangroves than terrestrial forests, including tropical rain forests

200

blue carbon samples collected in San Diego County in 2020 and 2021

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More of our work

WHALES

The gray whale winters and breeds in Baja California Sur's warm, pristine lagoons—areas that have been threatened by industrial and tourism development and today face worsening climate change pressures. Together with the local government, local communities and conservation groups, WILDCOAST is defending undeveloped shoreline around the lagoons.
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Image Credit: Claudio Contreras-Koob

SEA TURTLES

Sea turtles are among the planet's oldest animals, thriving since the time of dinosaurs. Unfortunately, several species are at great risk of extinction. WILDCOAST is conserving sea turtles by protecting their most important nesting beaches, addressing poaching and supporting local communities to protect sea turtle habitat.
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Image Credit: Claudio Contreras-Koob

CORAL REEFS

Coral reefs play an important role in sustaining our oceans, driving tourism and providing research and medicinal opportunities. WILDCOAST is working to conserve coral reefs in Mexico and Cuba by establishing and managing protected areas, promoting reef stewardship, implementing best-visitation practices and improving coral reef monitoring.
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Image Credit: Claudio Contreras-Koob

MANGROVES

Mangroves are among the world’s most effective carbon sequestering plants, absorbing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it within their roots and surrounding soil. They also provide important habitat for birds, sea turtles, fish and other wildlife.
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Image Credit: WILDCOAST

COASTAL WETLANDS

In 1971 the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance was signed as an international treaty for worldwide wetland conservation. Many wetlands are recognized for their ecological importance on a global scale, acting as natural buffers for coastal communities, benefiting ocean water quality and providing important wildlife habitat.
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Image Credit: Claudio Contreras-Koob

WILDLANDS

Spanning the Baja California Peninsula are millions of acres of protected areas that include open ocean, rugged islands, mangrove lagoons and pristine beaches. The wildlands of the peninsula are among the last true desert wilderness areas left on Earth.
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Image Credit: Daniel Cartamil

OCEANS

From the rugged coast of Northern California to the thriving shores of Oaxaca and across borders, the oceans connect us all. Our programs establish new marine protected areas, develop policies to deter poaching and build conservation capacity in local communities.
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Image Credit: Ralph Lee Hopkins