From the fishing district of El Manglitoin La Paz, Baja California Sur, a group of men and women have accomplished what seemed impossible: to begin to reverse the environmental degradation from coastal ecosystemThe project is also working to recover species such as the callo de hacha and control invasive species, while strengthening community ties.

This effort, spearheaded by the community itself, with the accompaniment of NOS Sustainable Northwestwas nationally recognized as a example of restoration during the Mexico's Ecosystem Restoration Summitevent organized by Semarnatthe United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Mexican Alliance for Ecosystem Restoration (AMERE).

Hubert Méndez CamachoSecretary of the Board of the Fishermen's Organization Rescuing the Inletwas invited to this event, where he participated in the panel Actions that inspire restoration.

He said that in his messages, both Alicia Bárcena, head of Semarnat, as Marina RoblesThe undersecretary of Biodiversity and Environmental Restoration, highlighted the efforts that have been made for a decade and a half in the restoration of the Ensenada de La Paz.

"The fact that they have made an example of the work we are doing in the community of El Manglito, as OPRE, and with all the support we have received from NOS Noroeste Sustentable, fills me and the community with energy, pride and satisfaction, it helps us to recharge our batteries," he said.

This, he said, is an indicator that the work they have been doing for many years is working and that they are on the right track.

A project that flourishes under the sea

One of the main achievements he shared OPRE at the summit was the recovery of hatchet callusThis species was threatened first by overexploitation and then by the arrival of an invasive species (tunicate), but now shows clear signs of repopulation in the Ensenada de La Paz.

"This year we were surprised to find that the axe callus is recovering quite well, a very nice callus is coming out and the banks are reproducing a lot of small axe. What we must implement is to take care of the axe callus," he said.

During the summit, the head of Semarnat presented the National Environmental Restoration Program 2025-2030 (PNRA), which includes among its actions the productive restoration of the Bay of La PazThe La Paz Cove is located in this area.

Méndez Camacho commented that they are proposing projects to be taken into account in these productive restoration actions, such as surveillance, replanting of callo de hacha and cleaning of tunicate.

"One project is surveillance and another is replanting, that all the callus that is exposed to illegal fishing, which is practically along the shore at about 20 centimeters when the water goes down, we have to remove it and replant it in a strategic point so that the tourism we do in the Cove can take advantage of it," he said.

The other project, he added, is to continue to monitor and control the tunicate in order to attack it when they see that it wants to repopulate, for which financial support is also needed.

Restoration and partnerships for a sustainable future

The work of OPRE is not limited to the sea. At the summit, Méndez also highlighted the interest in strengthening alliances with other communities and organizations working in mangrove conservation and mangrove honey production, an activity with high ecological and economic value.

"I was very pleased with the alliances we made, people who are working hard in the mangrove and who are cultivating mangrove honey and other activities. I already have the contact of several organizations to collaborate and give more and more value to the Ensenada, take care of those mangroves, take care of that honey, because here there are also many bees in the mangrove and we could take advantage of all that and go learning," he said.

The OPRE member underlined that the summit highlighted that the ecosystem restoration must start in the communities and make them feel empowered, because there is no better watchman or person who knows his area better than the community itself.

This premise was demonstrated in the experience at El Manglito that shared Hubert Méndez during his participation in the summit.