El Manglito

Community restoration

El Manglito is a community in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, which, through collective decisions, was able to develop economic activities based on the restoration of its social and environmental surroundings.

An encouraging case

"To restore the Cove, we must begin by restoring ourselves."

José Antonio Méndez

VISION. In 2011 the fishermen of El Manglito, in collaboration with NOS Noroeste Sustentable AC (NOS) imagined the future they wanted to create in the Ensenada: abundant fishery resources to sustain fishing and reactivate their economy, respect for the law, better organization and collaboration with the authorities to generate effective management strategies.

COLLECTIVE ACTION. They reached a collective agreement to restore the Ensenada de La Paz, starting with the callo de hacha and the Catarina clam, for which resources were evaluated, the beaches and seabed were cleaned, and participatory surveillance operations were implemented.

SOCIAL AND RESOURCE RESTORATION. The population of callo de hacha began to recover, which motivated the community to organize: 109 community members, 15 cooperatives and 10 free fishermen, joined together to form the SPR Organización de Pescadores Rescatando la Ensenada (OPRE), and obtained as of July 2017 a fishing concession for 11 bivalve resources, in 2048 hectares of the Ensenada de La Paz.

They also carried out various activities that fostered community development and the strengthening of the social fabric, such as aquaculture, tourism, education, social entrepreneurship, and sharing learning with other communities.

ECONOMIC RECOVERY. Fishing for scallops was reinitiated through sustainable practices (extraction respecting size and with catch quotas per school).

PRODUCTIVE DIVERSIFICATION. Because fishing was insufficient to meet the needs of the community, various productive options were explored. They ventured into oyster aquaculture, nature tourism and mussel fishing.

PROFITABILITY AND ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY. Empowerment and profitable social entrepreneurship. The development of activities is carried out under profitability criteria, that is, optimizing the productive processes to generate a positive balance between production costs and income generated, achieving stability and economic sustainability.

Stories about El Manglito

ESPERE arrives in El Manglito to transform and heal lives through forgiveness and reconciliation

April 10, 2024

The Forgiveness and Reconciliation Workshop, organized by NOS Sustainable Northwest, takes place April 2-12 and consists of 10 modules.

Sustainable tourism: Manglitours offers a unique experience to visitors to La Paz

March 26, 2024

It is a four-hour walk through the Ensenada de La Paz where the tourist can see wildlife, live the experience of the extraction of callo de hacha and listen to the voice of its protagonists about the restoration work of this place.

El Sazón de Las Guardianas: A Culinary Journey with Flavor and Commitment

February 28, 2024

Ana Martina, Graciela and Erika Vanessa put their heart and soul into a gastronomic venture they have called El Sazón de Las Guardianas, a service they have been providing for more than eight months.

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