Bahía de Loreto National Park

Bahía de Loreto National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto) is a national park on the east coast of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico, about 203 kilometres (126 mi) north of the city of La Paz in the state of Baja California Sur. The park protects 2,065.81 square kilometres (797.61 sq mi) of relatively pristine marine ecosystem in the central Sea of Cortez, including five large uninhabited islands and many smaller islets in Loreto Bay. It is known for its great variety of coastal environments, such as sandy beaches, sea cliffs, submarine canyons, and marine terraces, and is home to an exceptionally high biological diversity, especially of marine mammals.

Bahía de Loreto National Park
Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto
IUCN category II (national park)
Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) on the Isle of Coronado
Location of park in Mexico
LocationBaja California Sur, Mexico
Nearest cityLoreto, Baja California Sur
Coordinates25°51′51″N 111°07′18″W
Area206,580.75 hectares (510,472.2 acres)
EstablishedJuly 19, 1996
Governing bodyNational Commission of Protected Natural Areas
www.loreto.com/loreto-national-park-info/
Official nameIslands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California
TypeNatural
Criteriavii, ix, x
Designated2005 (29th session)
Reference no.1182
RegionLatin America and the Caribbean
Official nameParque Nacional Bahía de Loreto
Designated2 February 2004
Reference no.1358[1]

The national park was created by federal decree on July 19, 1996, and is administered by the Natural Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP), an agency of Mexico's Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources.[2] In 2004, it joined the Ramsar list of Wetlands of International Importance,[1] and in 2005, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site collectively with many other protected areas in the Gulf of California.

Description

Bahía de Loreto National Park protects Loreto Bay, located in northwest Mexico off the coast of Loreto Municipality in the state of Baja California Sur; the city of Loreto abuts park territory. The park covers an area of 206,580.75 hectares (510,472.2 acres), 88% of which is ocean surface; the islands, islets, and coastal regions that comprise the remaining 12% are mostly uninhabited.

Five main islands serve as the park's chief focal points and tourist destinations: Isla Coronados, Isla del Carmen, Isla Danzante, Isla Monserrat, and Isla Santa Catalina. Though the municipality of Loreto is not within park boundaries, it is the primary starting point for tours of the park and is considered a major influence on the area's ecology.[3] The municipality had a population of 11,812 at the 2000 census.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. "Bahía de Loreto National Park Management Program" (PDF). National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (in Spanish). Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources. 11 November 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  3. "Bahia de Loreto National Park". North America Marine Protected Areas Network (in Spanish). Commission for Environmental Cooperation. 2011. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  4. Cacheux, Ariel Alarcón (12 December 2003). "Ramsar Wetlands Fact Sheet (FIR)" (PDF). Ramsar.org (in Spanish). National Commission of Protected Natural Areas. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
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