ICT Aficionados
For those passionate about ICT
This is a group to share ideas on Information and communication technology. This is also a place to brainstorm how WiserEarth can be used as a ICT-tool and to monitor and contribute ICT-related content on WE. Information and communication technology (ICT) refers to the ability to have the skills, and physical and financial means, to access information partic ...learn more
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Created: Feb 27, 2008
Updated: Nov 21, 2009
Membership: Open
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About [Edit]
About Grupo Ecologista Antares (GEA)
Background and History
Grupo Ecologista Antares, A.C. (GEA), is a non-profit ecological association celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2005. Many of you may be familiar with the association that was formed by the founders for the purpose of establishing a national marine park in Loreto. The Bay of Loreto National Marine Park covers an area of 2,065 square kilometers ranging from Isla Coronado in the north to Isla Catalana in the south. On July 14, 2005, the Park was inscribed to the United Nation’s list of protected World Heritage Sites.
Located nearly 700 miles south of the U.S. border, Loreto is situated on the Sea of Cortez. The peninsula town was the first European settlement in all of California, founded in 1697 by Jesuit missionaries, and is the site of the first of all California missions. In addition to Loreto’s rich historical and cultural interest, the region is blessed with spectacular natural beauty and a wide variety of landscapes -- the pristine Sea of Cortez, the magnificent islands, the spectacular coastlines, the rugged Sierra La Giganta mountains, the abundant deserts, and more. Sadly, this wealth of marine and terrestrial treasures is currently endangered. The area is vast and the conservation challenge is great.
On July 19, 1996, by decree of the Mexican President, Ernesto Zedillo, the National Marine Park of Loreto Bay was established. In 1996, The Nature Conservancy took notice of the Loreto park effort and offered to help. With funds raised through The Nature Conservancy (TNC) from U.S. sources, GEA was formed and opened its own office and Visitors Center on Paseo Hidalgo s/n casi esq. Colegio. This was soon to become the central meeting place for park officials, marine researchers, local citizens, tourists and students from far and wide. The current Visitors Center has marine natural history displays and a marine conservation library.
In order to most effectively protect and restore the ecological balance, Grupo Ecologista Antares intends to establish the Eco Center of the Sea and the Desert, which will be the center for education and research for the protection and preservation of the environment -- and the marine life of the Sea of Cortez. The association maintains contact and partners with other institutions, private and governmental; to exchange and gather information on advanced technologies to aid the environment. GEA has developed programs to educate the youth and the citizens of the region regarding the importance of preservation and maintaining an ecological balance.
Grupo Ecologista Antares continues to act as a watch-dog to see that the existing laws and regulations to control the exploitation of the environment are enforced. GEA observes the threats to the environment -- and then sets a course of action to develop solutions.
Planning for the Future
While great conservation strides have been made since establishing the Bay of Loreto Marine National Park, protected areas function best when they are provided with a generous buffer. GEA is currently the organization most effectively addressing these issues in the Loreto area. Coastline development is rapidly occurring and plans are imminent for a population explosion. GEA is not opposed to development per se but favors a master plan of sustainable development that preserves and protects critical habitat. GEA's plan is a "win-win" approach for conservation, both economically and ecologically.
Commercial fishery regulations, what few there may be, are most often unknown or ignored and are rarely if ever enforced beyond the Loreto Marine Park boundaries. Currently GEA does not have jurisdicton over the coastline within the Park beyond twenty meters above high tide line and the threat of coastal development is great within the Park, as it is along the more than 100 miles of mostly undeveloped coastline of the Loreto Muncipal. Imminent development of this coastline will have a direct negative impact on the adjacent marine environment. There is an urgent need for a local Mexican organization to be at the center in order to continue to address these difficult issues. Due to GEA's history of success with the Loreto Marine Park and its desire to broaden the scope of its conservation agenda, GEA is that organization.
GEA already has a successful history and is well respected by the local community and government agencies. The proposed Eco-Center of the Sea and Desert will position GEA to further its educational and study programs and its sphere of influence. It is GEA's intention, through collaboration with other environmental organizations, to share the facility and its resources with others working in the Sea of Cortez for the protection of the environment.
With grateful acknowledgement...
Generous contributions and funding for GEA's programs and administration over the past ten years have continued to come from Packard Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, the International Community Foundation (ICF), Walton Family Foundation, Orvis Foundation, Wildcoast, Global Greengrants Fund, Sr. Denis Lassafre, Vagabundos Del Mar, PEMEX and many generous philanthropic individuals.
Background and History
Grupo Ecologista Antares, A.C. (GEA), is a non-profit ecological association celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2005. Many of you may be familiar with the association that was formed by the founders for the purpose of establishing a national marine park in Loreto. The Bay of Loreto National Marine Park covers an area of 2,065 square kilometers ranging from Isla Coronado in the north to Isla Catalana in the south. On July 14, 2005, the Park was inscribed to the United Nation’s list of protected World Heritage Sites.
Located nearly 700 miles south of the U.S. border, Loreto is situated on the Sea of Cortez. The peninsula town was the first European settlement in all of California, founded in 1697 by Jesuit missionaries, and is the site of the first of all California missions. In addition to Loreto’s rich historical and cultural interest, the region is blessed with spectacular natural beauty and a wide variety of landscapes -- the pristine Sea of Cortez, the magnificent islands, the spectacular coastlines, the rugged Sierra La Giganta mountains, the abundant deserts, and more. Sadly, this wealth of marine and terrestrial treasures is currently endangered. The area is vast and the conservation challenge is great.
On July 19, 1996, by decree of the Mexican President, Ernesto Zedillo, the National Marine Park of Loreto Bay was established. In 1996, The Nature Conservancy took notice of the Loreto park effort and offered to help. With funds raised through The Nature Conservancy (TNC) from U.S. sources, GEA was formed and opened its own office and Visitors Center on Paseo Hidalgo s/n casi esq. Colegio. This was soon to become the central meeting place for park officials, marine researchers, local citizens, tourists and students from far and wide. The current Visitors Center has marine natural history displays and a marine conservation library.
In order to most effectively protect and restore the ecological balance, Grupo Ecologista Antares intends to establish the Eco Center of the Sea and the Desert, which will be the center for education and research for the protection and preservation of the environment -- and the marine life of the Sea of Cortez. The association maintains contact and partners with other institutions, private and governmental; to exchange and gather information on advanced technologies to aid the environment. GEA has developed programs to educate the youth and the citizens of the region regarding the importance of preservation and maintaining an ecological balance.
Grupo Ecologista Antares continues to act as a watch-dog to see that the existing laws and regulations to control the exploitation of the environment are enforced. GEA observes the threats to the environment -- and then sets a course of action to develop solutions.
Planning for the Future
While great conservation strides have been made since establishing the Bay of Loreto Marine National Park, protected areas function best when they are provided with a generous buffer. GEA is currently the organization most effectively addressing these issues in the Loreto area. Coastline development is rapidly occurring and plans are imminent for a population explosion. GEA is not opposed to development per se but favors a master plan of sustainable development that preserves and protects critical habitat. GEA's plan is a "win-win" approach for conservation, both economically and ecologically.
Commercial fishery regulations, what few there may be, are most often unknown or ignored and are rarely if ever enforced beyond the Loreto Marine Park boundaries. Currently GEA does not have jurisdicton over the coastline within the Park beyond twenty meters above high tide line and the threat of coastal development is great within the Park, as it is along the more than 100 miles of mostly undeveloped coastline of the Loreto Muncipal. Imminent development of this coastline will have a direct negative impact on the adjacent marine environment. There is an urgent need for a local Mexican organization to be at the center in order to continue to address these difficult issues. Due to GEA's history of success with the Loreto Marine Park and its desire to broaden the scope of its conservation agenda, GEA is that organization.
GEA already has a successful history and is well respected by the local community and government agencies. The proposed Eco-Center of the Sea and Desert will position GEA to further its educational and study programs and its sphere of influence. It is GEA's intention, through collaboration with other environmental organizations, to share the facility and its resources with others working in the Sea of Cortez for the protection of the environment.
With grateful acknowledgement...
Generous contributions and funding for GEA's programs and administration over the past ten years have continued to come from Packard Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, the International Community Foundation (ICF), Walton Family Foundation, Orvis Foundation, Wildcoast, Global Greengrants Fund, Sr. Denis Lassafre, Vagabundos Del Mar, PEMEX and many generous philanthropic individuals.
