{"id":663000,"date":"2025-12-30T18:23:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T18:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/663000\/"},"modified":"2025-12-30T18:23:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T18:23:10","slug":"i-never-imagined-we-could-buy-an-island-how-a-community-saved-mexicos-galapagos-endangered-habitats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/663000\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I never imagined we could buy an island\u2019: how a community saved Mexico\u2019s Gal\u00e1pagos | Endangered habitats"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a clear day over the Sea of Cortez, Esp\u00edritu Santo looks untouchable. Turquoise water laps at the shores of the island\u2019s rocky coves; whale sharks cruise past snorkellers; seabirds caw over ancient cliffs. The pristine island and its Unesco-protected surroundings<\/a> \u2013 informally called \u201cMexico<\/a>\u2019s Gal\u00e1pagos\u201d \u2013 are a cocoon of biodiversity.<\/p>\n

Yet an increase in tourist numbers has led to growing unease among the island\u2019s longstanding stewards, as environmentalists report a decline in the area\u2019s marine life and call for stricter regulations.<\/p>\n

Esp\u00edritu Santo is no stranger to conflict. In the 1990s, the island, roughly the size of Manhattan, was a potential goldmine. Developers were reported to have plans for a casino. The fight to save it, led by grassroots activists and a local billionaire, was an early example of private conservation. Three decades on, those involved warn of its fragile legacy.<\/p>\n

The black-tailed jackrabbit is endemic to the island. Photograph: Bill Gorum\/Alamy<\/p>\n

The allure of Esp\u00edritu Santo for developers in the 90s was obvious, with its secluded, uninhabited beaches and privileged location near the Baja California peninsula.<\/p>\n

Although nature zones had some protections, the island had an unusual legal structure that made it particularly vulnerable. It was ejido land \u2013 a type of communal agricultural property<\/a> with roots in the 1910-17 Mexican revolution<\/a>. It was controlled by a group of about 30 landowners (ejidatarios), each of whom owned a small plot.<\/p>\n

That created a legal grey zone around construction, says Exequiel Ezcurra, former president of the Mexican Institute of Ecology<\/a>. \u201cEven a threat in Mexico can be very, very real,\u201d he says, pointing to the country\u2019s historically lax approach to conservation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believed that if Esp\u00edritu Santo fell, others would fall too,\u201d he says, adding that this posed a wider threat, given the \u201cimmensely important role in global ecology and conservation\u201d that islands play.<\/p>\n

It was an American conservationist who sounded the alarm. Tim Means, who had spent decades ferrying ecotourists across the Sea of Cortez, learned of developers\u2019 ambitions and began asking some of Mexico\u2019s most influential philanthropists for support.<\/p>\n

We believed that if Esp\u00edritu Santo fell, others would fall too<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Exequiel Ezcurra, ecologist<\/p>\n

Among them was the billionaire Manuel Arango. At the time, he was one of Mexico\u2019s most prominent businessmen, overseeing Grupo Cifra<\/a>, a retail company that introduced Walmart to the country; he was also an ardent environmentalist.<\/p>\n

Fears mounted when one of the communal landowners built a series of illegal, rudimentary bungalows at the turn of the millennium. \u201cWe said, \u2018what a travesty. This is going to continue,\u2019\u201d remembers Arango.<\/p>\n

The group devised a plan to buy the island directly from the landowners and transfer it to the Mexican government. It was a novel concept called \u201can agreed expropriation\u201d, says Ezcurra.<\/p>\n

In 2005, Unesco designated Esp\u00edritu Santo a world heritage site. Photograph: Leon Werdinger\/Alamy<\/p>\n

\u201cI never imagined we could buy an island,\u201d Arango says. \u201cBut if the ejidatarios remained as the owners \u2026 it would have been a disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Negotiations with the landowners took several years before a majority agreed to sell the island\u2019s 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) for an estimated $3m (\u00a32.27m).<\/p>\n

Arango started a unique fundraising campaign. About a third of the funds came from local people, contributing as little as 100 pesos (\u00a34.15) each. Arango donated about half a million dollars and philanthropic foundations covered the remainder.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted it to come from many people. We wanted the island to feel like theirs,\u201d he says, insisting it felt like a local effort among the people of La Paz, who saw the island as their responsibility.<\/p>\n

Manuel Arango, pictured in 2014, whose money and connections were key to protecting the islands. Photograph: Ernesto Agudo\/Alamy<\/p>\n

Enrique Hambleton, an environmental educator and author from La Paz who joined the campaign, says it was a historic event for Mexico. \u201cIt was the first time that conservation of a place was agreed with the participation of government, stakeholders, sailors, fishermen \u2013 everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once the island had been bought, the coalition sought to ensure that the government assumed stewardship and implemented robust legal protections. Arango used his political connections to mobilise key figures around the then-president, Vicente Fox. In January 2003, Isla Esp\u00edritu Santo was declared federal land<\/a>, which prohibited development.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we\u2019d known all that [this battle] would take, we might not have started it,\u201d Arango says, adding that Means, who died in 2019, deserves the main credit. \u201cMeans was the real motor behind everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further protections followed. In 2005, Unesco designated 244 islands, islets and coastal areas in the Gulf of California, including Esp\u00edritu Santo, a world heritage site<\/a>. Then, in 2007, Mexico named the Esp\u00edritu Santo archipelago as a national park<\/a>. The Sea of Cortez, often called the \u201caquarium of the world\u201d, is recognised as one of the most biologically diverse<\/a> marine areas in the world.<\/p>\n

Residents say the fight inspired other communities in Baja California Sur to band together to oppose mega-developments years later, including the Cabo Cortes<\/a> project, the El Mogote<\/a> sandbank plans, and developers\u2019 plans for a cruise ship facility<\/a> off La Paz.<\/p>\n

The campaign also served as an early model for private conservation<\/a>, which is on the rise in Mexico today. Between 2012 and 2023, the number of privately protected hectares in the country increased by 44%<\/a>, according to the local body of the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp<\/a>).<\/p>\n

A similar trend is also emerging globally. In the 1990s, privately protected areas (PPAs) worldwide were still on the fringes of conservation; today, tens of millions of hectares<\/a> are voluntarily protected by private owners, according to estimates by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The legal locks we put in place are fragile. What really protects the island in future is the people who defend it<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Manuel Arango, philanthropist<\/p>\n

Yet, concerns about the future of conservation in the Mexican Gulf remain. Among the crucial issues facing Esp\u00edritu Santo is how the Conanp authorities should handle the surge in tourists and the many licensed businesses that serve them.<\/p>\n

In recent years, authorities have been withdrawing permits that once allowed tour agencies to operate permanent camps on the island, where visitors could stay overnight. They argued that these were damaging important habitats and polluting the dunes, according to Irma Gonz\u00e1lez L\u00f3pez, the national park\u2019s director between 2014 and August 2025.<\/p>\n

Mike Lever, owner of Baja Expeditions, believes stricter restrictions are necessary. \u201cThis beautiful island is now under threat by mass tourism,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeautiful beaches and the quiet of this desert island \u2026 has seen the arrival of day boats carrying bus loads of tourists from Cabo, loud music, heavy drinking, crowded beaches, garbage and influencer opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The marine life around Esp\u00edritu Santo is already under enough pressure, says Octavio Aburto, a professor at San Diego\u2019s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the 30 years that I\u2019ve been [visiting], I\u2019ve seen it degrade more and more. They forgot about the marine life,\u201d he says, arguing that protection of the island\u2019s terrestrial environment has taken priority.<\/p>\n

A cormorant feeds on sardines in the waters off Esp\u00edritu Santo. Photograph: Franco Banfi\/Biosphoto\/Alamy<\/p>\n

Scientific studies<\/a> indicate that human activities and the climate crisis are contributing to the decline of endangered species<\/a> throughout the Baja California region. Other threats include overfishing, illegal fishing, rapid population growth, mining projects<\/a> and the slow implementation of environmental policies, according to the reports.<\/p>\n

Conanp\u2019s Dilia Rebeca Meza says she is considering tighter visitor controls, and recently introduced stricter monitoring on the island \u2013 which some locals dislike.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t fix this overnight. It will take years,\u201d she says, noting that the island is the area\u2019s \u201ccrown jewel\u201d and an environmental priority. \u201cThe mission is to preserve it in the long term, not just for this generation, but also for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

For long-term residents such as Hambleton, it is local activists who will protect Esp\u00edritu Santo. He says the local community has regular meetings to discuss how to defend the island. \u201cPeople complain, and that forces the authorities to act.\u201d Conservation<\/a>, he stresses, has to come before profit.<\/p>\n

Arango, who has carefully documented the island\u2019s legal protections, hopes that future generations will defend it if they are ever challenged. He is all too aware of the economic and political pressures.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe legal locks we put in place are fragile,\u201d says Arango, now in his 80s. \u201cWhat really protects the island in future is the people who defend it. We need the community to be the guardians.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On a clear day over the Sea of Cortez, Esp\u00edritu Santo looks untouchable. Turquoise water laps at the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":663001,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[12,26],"class_list":{"0":"post-663000","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-news","9":"tag-world"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115809917497176571","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=663000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663000\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/663001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=663000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=663000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=663000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}