Oceans & Biodiversity
Marine Protection in Cabo Pulmo
How a small fishing village turned its dying reef into the most successful marine reserve in the Americas.
Overview
By the 1990s, Cabo Pulmo's reef in Mexico's Sea of Cortez was nearly dead — overfished and bleached. Then the village made a radical decision: stop fishing entirely. Within a decade, fish biomass had increased by more than 460%. It is now one of the most studied and most successful marine reserves on Earth.
On this live session, learners dive virtually into Cabo Pulmo with the families who led the recovery. We explore how marine protected areas work, how local stewardship outperforms top-down conservation, and what this story tells us about the global ocean.
Students leave with a clear picture of what is possible when communities are trusted to protect the ecosystems they depend on.
What you'll take away
- Understand the role of oceans in the climate system
- See how a community-led marine reserve regenerated a dying reef
- Learn the science of marine protected areas
- Translate Cabo Pulmo's lessons into school-level ocean action
How it works
This session is part of Globe From Home's Planetary Citizenship Program. This can be booked as a stand-alone masterclass or as part of the full programme. Once a date is confirmed, we send a private access link. Learners can join collectively from classrooms or individually on any mobile device.