Create guardians for Bahia Magdalena mangrove

During this reporting period, we made meaningful progress in both ecological documentation and community engagement. Protecting this site means protecting its flora, fauna, and the ecological relationships that sustain local livelihoods. With this vision in mind, we carried out multiple field visits to document biodiversity and design monitoring methodologies that will guide future conservation efforts.

As part of this work, we launched a dedicated citizen science project on the iNaturalist platform, where all biodiversity observations from the site are compiled and validated. To date:

• 137 species recorded
• 294 total observations
• 14 community and staff observers contributing data
• 93 identifiers supporting species validation

Each record is reviewed by experts to ensure accurate scientific and common names. This growing database provides critical information on species presence, distribution, and photographic documentation, strengthening the scientific foundation needed to make informed conservation decisions.

But beyond the data, this platform represents something even more powerful: an opportunity for connection. Our next step is to actively involve community members in using the platform by teaching them how to upload observations, organizing biodiversity outings, and showing them the species that inhabit their own ecosystems.

At the same time, we deepened our understanding of the social context through structured interviews and informal conversations with community members in La Poza Grande. These dialogues revealed important insights into local livelihoods, social dynamics, and environmental concerns.

Fishing remains the primary economic activity, and while it sustains families, it also creates seasonal economic vulnerability when catches are low. This reality underscores the importance of developing complementary opportunities such as low-impact tourism and conservation-related employment. By linking ecosystem protection with income diversification, we can create pathways that both strengthen household resilience and reinforce local stewardship of mangrove ecosystems.

Together, biodiversity monitoring and community dialogue are laying the groundwork for a new generation of local Guardians who are informed, empowered, and actively engaged in protecting and sustainably managing the mangroves of Bahía Magdalena.