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When a natural landscape receives frequent human visitors, it is rare that this place remains unscathed; rarer still for it to be protected. But surf reserves – critical coastal ecosystems that overlap with exceptional surf spots – are a reliable exception.
One such reserve, Arroyo San Miguel State Park on the Pacific coast of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, gained status as a 67-hectare (166-acre) conservation area with legal protections through to allies in the international surfing community, writes Victor R. Rodríguez for Hakai Magazine.
Prior to being established as a state park, San Miguel faced a series of challenges – from illegal landfills and port development projects to sand and rock mining – that threatened to damage the famous waves of the region. But collaborative efforts between the local community and surfers around the world have proven the value of saving the site. Today, the area is protected from extractive activities and urban development.
“The [surf] The groups highlighted the services provided by ecosystems – protection of endangered species, green spaces for the community – and the economic benefits of surf tourism,” Rodríguez wrote.
For the thrifty, the surfing industry is not to be neglected. Conservation International estimates that surfing generates $50 billion a year for surfing communities around the world, not to mention thousands of jobs. In San Miguel, surf tourism brings in up to $969,000 a year, according to Rodríguez.
Beyond their economic impacts, the coastal ecosystems that attract surfers are home to important and often fragile species of marine flora and fauna, especially in coral reefs. Often, the environment and economies of these sites face many of the same threats: overfishing, deforestation, plastic pollution and unsustainable coastal development.
According to the Surf Conservation Partnership, more than 85% of the best surf spots in the world are located in areas of critical conservation importance. And surfers, more than 35 million people worldwide, are among the best defenders of ecosystems. The partnership, a collaboration between Conservation International and the Save the Waves Coalition, was established in 2019 to protect areas where world-class waves overlap with biologically diverse marine and coastal ecosystems. In addition to the San Miguel Surf Reserve, the Surf Conservation Partnership works in Costa Rica, Fiji, Hawaii, and other surf destinations.
Quality wave protection for surfers has been proven to help conserve fragile marine species in the waters below, according to a study co-authored by Conservation International and published last year.
“The proximity of surf breaks to areas of critical habitats and biodiversity creates a unique opportunity to establish a network of protected surf sites that will also support the survival of coastal ecosystems and the important species they support,” said Jack Kittinger, vice president of Conservation. International’s Blue Production Program and co-author of an article – himself a lifelong avid surfer.
“Those of us who work in coastal and marine conservation have a few different strategies we can implement,” he wrote in an op-ed. “The two most basic involve putting in place strict fishing regulations or creating a marine protected area.”
Read the full story here.
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To help raise awareness of the importance of waves, Conservation International has released ‘The Wave’, the latest addition to its award-winning ‘Nature Speaks’ series. The film stars Aquaman actor, Hawaii native and ocean sustainability advocate Jason Momoa.
Emma Cummings-Krueger is Media Relations Editor at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? Sign up to receive updates by email. Please also consider supporting our essential work.
