Las Guardianas del Conchalito
Las Guardianas del Conchalito is a Mexican women-led ecological conservation cooperative that restores, monitors, and protects the El Conchalito Estuary in La Paz, Baja California Sur.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Las Guardianas del Conchalito, also known in English as The Guardians of Conchalito, is a women-led ecological conservation group and legally recognized community cooperative based in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Its work centers on the El Conchalito Estuary, a coastal wetland and mangrove ecosystem that provides shoreline protection, supports biodiversity, stores carbon, and has historically contributed to local fishing livelihoods. The group emerged in response to the deterioration of the estuary caused by urbanization, tourism development, pollution, illegal mangrove cutting, waste dumping, poaching, and other illicit activity. These pressures affected mangrove habitats and reduced the availability of marine resources traditionally harvested by local communities, including scallops and related shellfish. Beginning in 2017, local women organized regular monitoring and cleanup activities. They documented illegal activities, reported damage, removed contamination, and began asserting a direct role for women in the stewardship of a coastal resource traditionally associated with male-dominated fishing institutions. The initiative developed with support from Organización de Pescadores Rescatando la Ensenada, or OPRE, a rural production society created in 2016 by 15 fishing cooperatives and 20 independent fishermen. In 2017, OPRE obtained a concession covering 2,048 hectares within the Ensenada, where commercial scallop cultivation and other productive activities take place. The Guardians subsequently built a conservation and livelihood model that combines environmental monitoring, mangrove restoration, community education, and a women-only oyster-growing enterprise. They also raise mangrove seedlings until they are mature enough to be transplanted into damaged coastal areas. The group formally adopted the Guardians of Conchalito identity in 2018. On September 14 of that year, it inaugurated a nursery dedicated to raising mangrove trees for reforestation. The nursery became an important practical component of the group’s restoration strategy, while educational activities sought to increase awareness among residents and visitors about the ecological and protective functions of mangroves. The group’s longer-term objective is the creation of an urban nature reserve and the recovery of approximately 11 hectares of ecologically important mangrove lagoon. The Guardians have received assistance from Noroeste Sustentable, Mexico’s National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), Wildcoast, local authorities, the UK government, Costa Salvaje, and the environmental organization Only One. In November 2021, Only One provided financial support for coastal cleanup and mangrove-planting work. Since 2023, the Guardians have carried out monthly monitoring with Costa Salvaje and CONANP. This program records the condition of red, white, and black mangroves and includes species identification and seed collection. The group’s activities combine conservation with local economic development. Its members receive a living wage, and its oyster-growing and shellfish-related work connects ecosystem restoration to household income and the reactivation of the local economy. The organization has also become an example of women’s environmental leadership, inspiring local women to challenge traditional gender roles and participate directly in resource governance. At the same time, members have reported harassment by private security forces connected with tourist developments and insufficient support from some men in the local community. Despite these pressures, the Guardians remain active in protecting the estuary and promoting a community-based model of coastal restoration.
History
El Conchalito is a coastal estuary and mangrove wetland in La Paz, Baja California Sur. Its mangroves help protect the coast, provide habitat for wildlife, support biodiversity, and capture carbon. The estuary also forms part of the environmental and economic setting of the Northern Mesoamerican Pacific Coast Mangroves. Before the Guardians’ organizing efforts, the area had been damaged by urbanization, tourism, pollution, illegal logging, waste disposal, poaching, and other unlawful activity. Declining environmental quality also affected fishing yields, including scallops and other resources traditionally important to local residents. A related institutional foundation was established in 2016, when the Organización de Pescadores Rescatando la Ensenada (OPRE) was created as a rural production society by 15 fishing cooperatives and 20 independent fishermen. OPRE later obtained a 2,048-hectare concession within the Ensenada in 2017, enabling commercial scallop cultivation and other productive activities. Against this background, a group of local women began systematically monitoring El Conchalito in 2017. They reported illegal mangrove cutting, dumping, poaching, drug dealing, and other threats, while also organizing cleanups in contaminated parts of the estuary. The group formally established itself as Las Guardianas del Conchalito in 2018. Its approach combined direct environmental defense with restoration and livelihood creation. On September 14, 2018, it inaugurated a mangrove nursery to grow trees to a transplantable age before replanting them along damaged parts of the coast. The Guardians also developed a women-only oyster-growing enterprise and became involved in the cultivation of scallops and other shellfish-related products. These activities link conservation to income generation and provide members with a living wage. The organization’s work has been supported by Noroeste Sustentable, CONANP, Wildcoast, local government, and the UK government. In November 2021, Only One funded coastal cleanup and mangrove planting. The Guardians’ long-term conservation ambition is to help establish an urban nature reserve and restore approximately 11 hectares of mangrove lagoon. Since 2023, Costa Salvaje and CONANP have supported a monthly monitoring program. The program tracks red, white, and black mangroves, while also documenting species and collecting seeds for future restoration. Beyond habitat recovery, the Guardians conduct community and visitor awareness activities focused on the importance of mangroves. Their work has encouraged local women to participate in environmental governance and challenge conventional gender expectations in fishing and coastal-resource management. The group has nevertheless faced harassment from private security forces associated with some tourist developments and a lack of support from certain men in the surrounding community. Despite those difficulties, it has become a legally recognized community cooperative and an example of women-led, community-based ecological restoration in Mexico.
- 2023
Monthly mangrove monitoring launched
[1]The Guardians began monthly monitoring of three mangrove types with Costa Salvaje and CONANP, including seed collection and species identification.
- 2021
Only One provides restoration support
[1]Only One funded coastal cleanup and mangrove-planting activities in November.
- 2018
Guardians formally organized
[1]The women formally established themselves as the Guardians of Conchalito.
- 2018
Mangrove nursery opened
[1]A nursery was inaugurated on September 14 to raise mangrove trees for coastal reforestation.
- 2017
Community monitoring begins
[1]Local women began monitoring El Conchalito, reporting illegal activities and cleaning areas affected by pollution and waste.
- 2017
Ensenada concession obtained
[1]OPRE obtained a concession covering 2,048 hectares within the Ensenada, where scallops and other products could be cultivated.
- 2016
OPRE established
[1]Organización de Pescadores Rescatando la Ensenada was formed by 15 fishing cooperatives and 20 independent fishermen, providing an institutional context for later coastal livelihood and conservation work.
Products and positioning
A women-led community conservation cooperative combining mangrove restoration, coastal protection, ecological monitoring, environmental education, and sustainable shellfish production.
Aquaculture
Women-only oyster-growing enterprise
A women-led oyster-growing activity that connects sustainable coastal production with local income generation and community empowerment. It forms part of the Guardians’ broader effort to combine ecosystem stewardship with viable livelihoods for members.
Aquaculture · 2017
Commercial scallop cultivation
Scallop cultivation takes place within the broader Ensenada concession associated with OPRE. Scallops are among the marine resources connected to the area’s traditional fishing economy and the group’s community-based production context.
Restoration materials · 2018
Mangrove seedlings
The Guardians raise mangrove trees in a dedicated nursery until they are ready for transplantation. Seedlings support reforestation of damaged coastal areas and contribute to the group’s longer-term objective of restoring the El Conchalito mangrove lagoon.
Conservation services · 2017
Ecological monitoring and restoration
The group monitors the estuary, identifies mangrove species, collects seeds, documents illegal activity, cleans polluted areas, and supports community awareness. Since 2023, monthly monitoring has focused on red, white, and black mangroves with Costa Salvaje and CONANP.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023Monthly Mangrove Monitoring Program
El Conchalito Estuary · La Paz
With Costa Salvaje and CONANP, the Guardians established recurring monitoring of red, white, and black mangroves, including identification and seed collection.
Outcome. The program created a continuing basis for tracking mangrove condition and supporting future reforestation.
- 2021Coastal Cleanup and Mangrove Planting Support
La Paz · Baja California Sur
Only One provided funding for cleanup and mangrove-planting activities carried out by the Guardians.
Outcome. The support enabled further restoration activity in the estuary.
- 2018El Conchalito Mangrove Nursery
La Paz · Baja California Sur
The Guardians opened a nursery to grow mangrove trees for replanting in degraded coastal areas and to build local capacity for long-term habitat restoration.
Outcome. The nursery became a central component of the group’s reforestation work.
Brand decisions
2023
Adopt recurring scientific mangrove monitoringStrategyBackground
Long-term restoration required regular information about the condition and regeneration of the estuary’s mangrove species.
Action taken
With Costa Salvaje and CONANP, the Guardians implemented monthly monitoring covering red, white, and black mangroves, species identification, and seed collection.
Aftermath
The program strengthened the group’s ongoing restoration and conservation planning.
2018
Formalize as a women-led conservation cooperativeStrategyBackground
After beginning informal monitoring and cleanup work in 2017, the group needed a durable identity and structure for conservation, livelihood, and education activities.
Action taken
The women formally organized as Las Guardianas del Conchalito and developed restoration, shellfish production, and awareness activities under that identity.
Aftermath
The organization became a legally recognized community cooperative and continued operating a women-centered conservation and livelihood model.
Sources1 sources
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