UNESCO gives Mexico 6 months to show ‘concrete actions’ to protect remaining vaquitas

UNESCO has given Mexico six months to demonstrate "concrete actions" to safeguard the vaquita porpoise and other species in the Gulf of California, which is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The deadline to address this issue is February 1, 2027. At the UNESCO World Heritage Committee's recent meeting in Busan, South Korea, the committee requested Mexico to present tangible evidence of their efforts to shield the Gulf of California from potential threats such as liquefied natural gas projects like Saguaro Energía LNG and AMIGO GNL.

This request comes amid growing global concerns for the vaquita's survival, with International Save the Vaquita Day observed on July 18.

The Mexican government marked this special day by highlighting recent initiatives like a ten-day training program for local residents in San Felipe, Baja California, who were educated in the use of acoustic detectors, environmental DNA sampling, and high-powered binoculars by professionals to monitor vaquita populations. The vaquita, considered the world's smallest cetacean, is critically endangered and faces imminent extinction, with only a handful remaining in the Upper Gulf of California.

The primary threat to the species is accidental entanglement in illegal gillnets used to catch the totoaba fish, whose swim bladders are highly valued in Asia for traditional medicine and luxury tonics. Vaquitas also die from being caught in wide-cast nets, set both illegally and legally, and through ghost nets dropped by illicit fishers to deter patrols.

UNESCO's pressure on Mexico to provide a detailed report on LNG plants and other infrastructure projects threatening the region's universal value stems from the additional risks these developments pose to the vaquita, as well as to whales and other marine life.