The Maneadero Aquifer provides nearly all the freshwater for the Punta Banda Area. Historically a healthy, balanced aquifer system, over-pumping continues to deplete this precious water source and intensify salinization and pollution, while sea level rise exacerbates this effect. There are some sustainable options for Punta Banda’s future.

Following years of grassroots protests, community-driven water monitoring, and formal legal action, Mexico’s federal environmental protection agency, PROFEPA, recently levied multimillion-peso sanctions against the State Public Services Commission of Ensenada (CESPE). The economic penalties follow a federal investigation confirming that state-run utility facilities systematically discharged inadequately treated wastewater directly into local streams, arroyos, coastal estuaries, and the Pacific Ocean. These events spotlighted a long-running regional sanitation battle. Learn about the major players in this battle, the timeline of event leading up to the fines, in this article written by El Berryman.

Amid the troubling news of war and conflict in Iran, it’s easy to overlook that one of the world’s most important environmental success stories also originated there.

In April 2026, the Punta Banda community participated in the world’s largest biological census!

Voices of the Punta Banda Community: Second Workshop

Community members of at least two nationalities come together and devote time and energy to making Punta Banda an even more beautiful place.

December 6 was the first of two workshops planned by Laura Ibarra as part of her doctoral dissertation, titled, Voices of the Punta Banda Estuary. It was an opportunity for community members to share their memories about events and changes they’ve seen around the estuary over the years.

The Punta Banda Conservation Alliance co-hosted a milestone event at the estuary documenting the king tide to help everyone understand what our world will look like with ongoing sea level rise.

According to the Assessment of Ecosystem Services in Federal Protected Natural Areas of Mexico prepared by Mexico’s National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONAMP), the Estero de Punta Banda is the most threatened area on the Pacific coast of Baja California.

The Punta Banda Conservation Alliance is proud to have played a key role at a national conference on bird conservation held in Ensenada in October.

Now that the 2025 Least Tern nesting season has come to a close, Liliana Ortiz has prepared a season summary.

Now that the 2025 snowy plover nesting season has come to a close, John Kinabrew has prepared a season summary.

On May 27–29, 2025, Tijuana Slough (California, USA) and Estero de Punta Banda (Baja California, Mexico) became the stage for something historic: the 1st Binational Light-footed Ridgway’s Rail Workshop & Annual Survey.

The Light-footed Ridgway’s Rail (Rallus obsoletus levipes) is one of North America’s most elusive birds. Endangered and highly dependent on coastal salt marshes, its populations have long been threatened by habitat loss, pollution, and human disturbance. Despite their critical status, few people ever see these secretive rails.

Biodiversity is not a list of species of a given area; nor is it how many of each species are present; nor is it something we can measure regarding the state of the environment, its fragility, or its resilience.

As a follow-up to the Punta Banda Conservation Alliance’s meeting with Councilwoman Daniella Salgado on April 12, PROFEPA installed the first set of four new signs prohibiting ATVs and other disturbances along Lengueta Arenosa on April 17, 2025.

The steering committee of the Punta Banda Conservation Alliance has been meeting regularly to address conservation challenges related to All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) traffic on the beaches of Lengueta Arenosa (“The Spit”).