Diving Deep for the Future of the East Cape

Vanessa Lucero grew up in a family of fishermen in Boca del Álamo, exploring the sandy beaches and clear waters of Baja California Sur’s East Cape. Aboard her father’s fishing boat, she saw how deeply the region’s communities depend on the sea — and she also witnessed the gradual decline of marine life.

The 18 kilometers that make up the Boca del Álamo–Punta Pescadero coastal corridor are among the areas least affected by tourism and real estate development in the East Cape region. It’s a critical habitat for commercially valuable species such as snapper, grunts, triggerfish and jacks, and provides the essential structure needed for nursery grounds and fish aggregations.

In September 2024, fishersmen from the Boca del Álamo and Pescadores del Tezal cooperatives, concerned about conserving their resources, requested that CONAPESCA establish a Fishing Refuge Zone to protect and steward the marine life of the Boca del Álamo–Punta Pescadero coastal corridor. To measure its impact, they proposed implementing three community-based programs: underwater monitoring, fisheries monitoring, and community surveillance.

When Vanessa learned of the opportunity to become an underwater diver–monitor for the new refuge, she didn’t hesitate to join.

“My motivation to become a diver–monitor was born from discovering the beauty of the marine ecosystem in Cabo Pulmo,” she shares. “I want to explore, share, and contribute to caring for the ocean in my community.”

In 2024, Vanessa and another woman, Daniela Sosa, who at the time lived in one of the nearby communities, became the first to be trained in scuba diving and underwater monitoring. This November, five more community members will join them, forming the first generation of diver–monitors for the Fishing Refuge Zone. This team will collect the baseline data needed for long-term monitoring and serve as key ambassadors, sharing results with local fishing communities.

“Underwater monitoring has become a powerful bridge between scientific knowledge and the lived experience of local fishersman,” says Pablo Castro Moreno, LegacyWorks Mexico’s Technical and Natural Resources Director. “It strengthens the capacities of those who have known the sea for generations, enabling them to become official observers and guardians of the ecosystems and resources that sustain their way of life.”

We’re honored to work alongside community leaders like Vanessa and the other diver–monitors, whose dedication is paving the way for a bright future of data-driven, community-led marine conservation and abundance in the immediate coastal corridor and the broader East Cape region. LegacyWorks has been supporting this kind of community-led conservation, resilience, and economic development work in the region for the last decade. Like the work in Boca del Alamo, which began in 2019, supporting community-driven change takes time, resources, and a long-term commitment.  

“It takes time to co-create effective, robust programs with the community as is happening in Boca del Alamo, “ says James Honey, LegacyWorks Mexico Director. “But once one is established, a spiral of new opportunities opens up - Vanessa and the young leaders of this process are already helping other communities make their stewardship visions come to life.”

If you too care about the communities and landscapes of Baja California Sur and would like to join our community of changemakers, you can learn more here and support our efforts here.