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Nakawe Project

@nakawe_project

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501(c)3 engaging communities in wildlife conservation & sustainable ecotourism development.
Project ptnr. @bajadventures #SOSGulfOfCalifornia

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LORETO UPDATE: CRUISE SHIPS WERE BACK ON THE TABLE.
Just weeks after Mexico revoked Loreto’s deep-sea port designation in May 2026, the possibility of bringing cruise ships back was raised again during official government working-group discussions in June.

How do we know? Through partial records of the official meeting minutes obtained via public information requests.

On June 22, Mexico’s Navy Ministry (SEMAR) formally proposed considering the arrival of large vessels. According to participants, reinstating deep-sea port status to allow cruise ships was also discussed.
Citizen representatives unanimously rejected the proposal.
On July 2, Mexico’s Environment Ministry reaffirmed the presidential directive: NO CRUISE SHIPS. NO DEEP-SEA PORT. NO CARGO VESSELS inside Loreto Bay National Park.
Yet, months later, the final navigation regulations remain unresolved, and the National Park Management Plan update is still pending.
How much longer must Loreto wait for binding protections?
Transparency matters. Public participation matters. And protecting one of Mexico’s most extraordinary marine ecosystems requires more than promises.
Loreto needs legal certainty. Loreto needs action.

Loreto is not a circus, and its future is not a game. Our natural heritage deserves serious leadership, responsible decisions, and genuine respect for the communities and ecosystems at stake.

#SaveLoreto #LoretoBayNationalPark #MarineConservation #NoCruiseShipsLoreto #ProtectOurOceans #Transparency #BajaCaliforniaSur taken in Loreto, Baja California Sur by @nakawe_project

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2 days ago

This is their world, too.

Last January, on our way to one of our gray whale citizen science expeditions at Baja Adventures & Nakawe Project , we found a young coyote trapped in a water source, apparently with one or two broken leg.

I helped it out of the water and contacted the authorities, but I never learned what happened to it.

I often think about that coyote. Imagine being alone in the desert, injured, unable to escape the heat.

Every day, wildlife pays the price for our roads, our speed, and our lack of awareness.

But these animals are not intruders in our world. We are sharing theirs.

Wildlife exists everywhere: along our roads, in our gardens, across our deserts, and even in our cities. Every species has a place, a purpose, and an intrinsic right to exist.

And when biodiversity disappears, we don’t just lose wildlife. We lose the very systems that sustain our own lives.

We are not above nature. We are part of it.

So please, slow down. Pay attention. Be gentle out there.

The question isn’t whether we can coexist with wildlife.

It’s whether we’ll learn to do so before it’s too late.

#KeepBajaWild #LetLive #SlowDown taken in Baja California Sur by @nakawe_project

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2 days ago

WHERE ARE THE BLUE WHALES OF THE GALÁPAGOS? AND WHAT IS THE OCEAN TRYING TO TELL US?

A recent scientific expedition failed to detect blue whales in areas of the Galápagos where they had previously been documented.

Researchers are investigating whether rising ocean temperatures and changes in prey availability could be influencing their distribution.

But does their absence mean they are disappearing? Not necessarily.

And that raises some important questions.

Are we paying enough attention to changes in marine species distribution?

Are we confusing fewer sightings with declining populations?

Do we have enough long-term data to distinguish natural fluctuations from climate-driven changes?

And perhaps most importantly: Are our conservation strategies adapting to a changing ocean?

Here in Loreto, in the Gulf of California, we also observe how cetacean distribution is closely connected to oceanographic conditions, productivity, and prey availability.

This is why long-term scientific monitoring, photo-identification, and citizen science are so important.

Marine wildlife doesn’t follow our tourism seasons, political boundaries, or expectations.

And what happens when protected species move beyond the boundaries of the areas designed to protect them?

Not finding whales doesn’t necessarily mean they are gone. But their absence may still tell us something important.

Conservation must go beyond protecting the places where we see wildlife today. We must understand and protect the ecological conditions that allow these animals to thrive.

Because protecting whales also means protecting the ocean they depend on.

Source: Infobae, October 12, 2026
Photo @regi_domingo at @bajadventures
#BlueWhales #Galapagos #GulfOfCalifornia #MarineConservation #ClimateChange #CitizenScience #OceanScience #Loreto taken in Galapagos Islands, Ecuador by @nakawe_project

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4 days ago

Este programa busca reducir los atropellamientos de fauna ocasionados por el exceso de velocidad y la falta de atención de los conductores en zonas donde las carreteras y los ecosistemas se encuentran.

Colectivo Manglares trabaja en coordinación con autoridades y comunidad para identificar puntos de riesgo y desarrollar acciones concretas como:

⚠️Señalización preventiva en zonas de paso de fauna.
⚠️Reductores de velocidad en puntos estratégicos.
⚠️Identificación de puntos de interés y cruces de fauna.
⚠️Educación y sensibilización de conductores.
⚠️Registro y seguimiento de los puntos y resultados para orientar nuevas acciones.

El objetivo es que la carretera deje de ser una amenaza para la fauna que habita el territorio y que quienes la recorren entiendan que reducir la velocidad también es una forma de conservación. by @nakawe_project

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4 days ago

A little eye. A giant perspective.

Behind this eye is a brain capable of navigating thousands of kilometers, recognizing its surroundings, and navigating a complex social world.

Gray whales remind us that intelligence comes in many forms, and curiosity isn’t exclusively human.

What happens when the observer becomes the observed?

Join our #CitizenScience whale expeditions this next winter 2027 from Loreto in Baja California Sur and discover these extraordinary mammals from a different perspective.

#WhaleWatching #EthicalTourism #CitizenScience #Expeditions #BajaAdventures #RegenerativeTourism #GrayWhale #Cetaceans taken in Baja California Sur by @nakawe_project

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7 days ago

"Se le otorga la Manifestación de Impacto Ambiental con el presidente López Obrador", aseguró la presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum sobre el Proyecto Amigo de Gas Natural Licuado en Sonora durante la #mañanera, aunque la autorización de impacto ambiental, el instrumento preventivo más importante en la materia, se firmó hasta abril de este año, ya en su gobierno, como reveló CN Media. by @nakawe_project

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9 days ago

La presidenta @claudia_shein aseguró que el Proyecto Amigo de Gas Natural Licuado en Sonora obtuvo sus permisos durante el gobierno de Andrés Manuel López Obrador, pero la autorización de impacto ambiental, el instrumento preventivo más importante en la materia, se dio hasta abril de este año, como reveló CN Media el 20 de septiembre pasado. "Son acuerdos que permiten la exportación de gas de Estados Unidos a Asia", dijo la presidenta en la mañanera.

📝 CN Media
🔗 Lee la nota en el link de la bio. by @nakawe_project

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10 days ago

When wildlife tourism crosses the line, conservation must come first.

Over the past year, we have received deeply concerning reports and seen material showing irresponsible interactions with wild orcas in the Gulf of California: people entering the water directly over or extremely close to them, pursuing them, and even attempting to touch them.

Orcas are wild apex predators, not attractions for humans or content for social media.

A newly published review in Frontiers in Mammal Science examines the rapid growth of swim-with-orca tourism in the Gulf of California and highlights a critical reality: we still do not know the long-term ecological consequences of repeated in-water interactions with orcas in Mexico. Vessel traffic and swimmers may disrupt natural behaviors, including feeding.

The study also examines the 2025–2026 management plan for these activities, including limits on vessels and swimmers, minimum distances, behavioral restrictions and monitoring. The authors emphasize that these are precautionary measures that still require long-term scientific evaluation.

When science does not yet know the cumulative impact, uncertainty should not be permission to get closer. It should be a reason to be more careful.

Observe. Respect. Protect.

Photo @bajadventures
#NakaweProject #Orcas #KeepBajaWild #WilfdlifeOverLikes #GulfOfCalifornia #MarineConservation #ResponsibleTourism #WildlifeTourism by @nakawe_project

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15 days ago

Apenas dos días después del paso del huracán Polo, los cañones de Loreto vuelven a llevar agua.

El agua desciende desde la Sierra de la Giganta, abre camino entre roca y sedimento, moviliza minerales y nutrientes y alimenta oasis, pozas y vegetación a lo largo de estos corredores naturales. En cuestión de días, el desierto responde: aparecen nuevos verdes, regresan las mariposas y los cañones vuelven a latir.

Esta mañana salimos a caminar uno de ellos junto a amigos del equipo de #KeepLoretoMagical.

Porque quienes vivimos aquí no solo mostramos Loreto a visitantes: lo vivimos, lo caminamos, lo observamos, y aprendemos de sus ciclos. La sequía, las lluvias y hasta los huracanes forman parte de la dinámica natural de este territorio extraordinario.

Y cuando el agua regresa, también regresa nuestra responsabilidad de protegerla.

Estos cañones son ecosistemas frágiles, corredores biológicos y parte de sistemas hidrológicos que alimentan oasis y acuíferos. Visitarlos implica minimizar nuestra huella: no dejar basura, heces ni residuos orgánicos; evitar introducir perros domésticos; no perturbar ni alimentar a la fauna; reducir el ruido; y proteger la calidad y el curso natural del agua.

En Baja Adventures aplicamos los principios de Leave No Trace como parte de nuestra manera de explorar estos ecosistemas. Leopoldo Sanmiguel, fundador y guía de Baja Adventures, esta certificado como entrenador de Leave No Trace por @nols_mexico , y estos principios forman parte de cómo interpretamos y compartimos el territorio con nuestros participantes en nuestras aventuras de turismo regenerativo.

Explorar también es aprender a pasar por un lugar sin dejar nuestra presencia detrás.

Proteger Loreto significa conservar sus cañones, su biodiversidad y el agua que sostiene la vida en el desierto.

Donde hay agua, hay vida. Y donde hay vida, tenemos una responsabilidad.

#Loreto #KeepBajaWild #BajaCaliforniaSur #KeepLoretoMagical #huracánpolo #SierraDeLaGiganta #BajaAdventures #LeaveNoTrace taken in Loreto, Baja California Sur by @nakawe_project

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15 days ago

· · · — — — · · · S.O.S.

SOS is the international distress signal at sea. Today, we are using it for a sea that needs our attention: the Gulf of California, in Baja California Peninsula, Mexico.

In Loreto, community action helped overturn the decree that designated the port for international navigation in May 2026. The government committed to developing a new navigation regulatory instrument and updating the Loreto Bay National Park Management Program.

Four months later, neither has been published. Loreto remains a coastal-navigation port and cruise ship requests for 2026–2030 have been rejected, but the long-term regulatory tools we were promised are still pending.

Decisions are being postponed. The threats are not.

Meanwhile, in Guaymas, Sonora, a federal judge has halted AMIGO LNG, preventing construction while a constitutional challenge is resolved. The project, however, has not been permanently cancelled and previously received environmental authorization from ASEA.

Different places. Different cases. The same Gulf.

Gas projects, cruise ships and maritime traffic, ocean warming, new infrastructure, and gaps in protection and governance cannot be considered separately. Their impacts accumulate across one interconnected marine ecosystem.

The Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California remain on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger, and UNESCO has raised concerns about fossil-gas infrastructure projects that could affect the property’s Outstanding Universal Value.

The Gulf of California is a living system under pressure. We cannot wait for the next threat before we act.

We need science, prevention, effective regulation, protection and governance — now.

SOS was created as a call for help at sea.

Today, let’s make it a call for help for the sea.

· · · — — — · · ·

S.O.S. GULF OF CALIFORNIA

Help us make this call visible.
#SOSGulfOfCalifornia by @nakawe_project

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19 days ago

No todas las estrellas salen de noche.

Cuando las aguas de Loreto alcanzan algunas de sus temperaturas más cálidas del año, bajo la superficie ocurre algo precioso: podemos encontrar a las estrellas cojín de Panamá (Pentaceraster cumingi) reuniéndose en grupos.

¿Una reunión de estrellas? Más o menos.

En el Golfo de California se han documentado agregaciones de esta especie durante los meses cálidos, especialmente entre julio y septiembre. Una de las hipótesis científicas más interesantes es que estos encuentros estén relacionados con la reproducción: como liberan sus gametos al agua, estar más cerca aumenta las posibilidades de que la magia, y la biología sucedan.

La temperatura, el alimento y las condiciones del fondo también podrían formar parte de la historia. Y todavía quedan preguntas por responder.

Eso es precisamente lo que más nos gusta.

En nuestras expediciones en Loreto de ciencia ciudadana no solo buscamos animales “grandes”, también observamos comportamientos, dinámicas y documentamos cambios y aprendemos a leer lo que el océano nos está contando.

Porque a veces, para encontrar estrellas en Loreto, también puedes mirar hacia abajo.

#BajaAdventures #Loreto #CitizenScience #PentacerasterCumingi #SeaStars #GulfOfCalifornia #MarineBiology #RegenerativeTourism #CitizenScience taken in Loreto, Baja California Sur by @nakawe_project

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25 days ago

La Agencia Nacional de Seguridad Industrial y de Protección al Medio Ambiente del Sector Hidrocarburos (ASEA) autorizó el 13 de abril la terminal de licuefacción de gas natural LNG Amigo en Guaymas, Sonora, pero la resolución permaneció fuera del conocimiento público, hasta ahora. @nuestrofuturoac y @article19mxca, que promovieron un amparo por falta de información e irregularidades en la consulta pública, señalan que el 20 de mayo la agencia informó ante un juez federal que no había otorgado ningún permiso ambiental.

📝 Por Ángel Huerta
🔗 Lee la nota en el link de la bio. by @nakawe_project

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