A Man, a Mission and More than a Million Acres of Mexican Coastline

How COSTASALVAjE/WiLDCOAST is Protecting and Preserving Coastal Ecosystems and Wildlife in The Californias from Baja and Beyond

The MEXICO Report
Community Section

By Susie Albin-Najera

For most of his life, Serge Dedina has dedicated his time and efforts to protecting the coastal wildlands of the Californias. With an English mother and a French father who worked for The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Serge’s upbringing was a nomadic one, living in El Salvador, Spain, Peru, and Mexico among many other countries.

When he finally settled in the coastal town of Imperial Beach, south of San Diego and just minutes from the U.S.-Mexico border, his interest in coastal conservation began to develop while working with the Tijuana River and on developing two national wildlife refuges.

As former founding director of The Nature Conservancy’s Baja California and Sea of Cortez Program, Serge Dedina went on to co-found COSTASALVAjE (a.k.a. WiLDCOAST) in 2000, a non-profit organization that protects and preserves coastal ecosystems and wildlife in the Californias and Latin America by building grassroots support, conducting media campaigns and establishing protected areas.

“I started WiLDCOAST to help preserve some of the world’s most ecologically important bays, beaches, islands and lagoons and marine wildlife such as sea turtles and sharks facing certain extinction from overfishing and poaching,” said Dedina.

Serge Dedina, Ph.D.

As the Executive Director, Dedina provides the vision and leadership to a passionate team in Mexico and the United States so they can work proactively with communities to preserve coastal and marine ecosystems and wildlife. He has worked with fishing communities and grassroots organizations on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border to preserve more than one million acres of globally significant coastal and marine habitats.

“I do this work because I am passionate about the coast and ocean and believe that our future and health is tied to preserving the amazing natural resources that surround us.”

As part of an overall effort to protect and preserve the environment, WiLDCOAST/ COSTASALVAjE has several programs specific to its core mission from clean water solutions, stopping the consumption of sea turtles eggs to protecting the extinction of sharks.  And they have received some major attention and support from well-known forces in entertainment including the popular luchador El Hijo del Santo, Grammy Award Winning band Maná, Los Tigres del Norte and soccer star Jorge Campos among others.

Mana

“We started working with Maná in 2003 and were allowed to set up tables outside their concerts to give out our info,” said director of communications Fay Crevoshay. “Then, after they got to know us, they invited us to visit their sea turtle hatcheries south of Puerto Vallarta in the state of Jalisco. They pay people for collecting the sea turtle eggs that turtles lay on the beach, to guard them and when the baby turtles are born, help them get to the ocean unharmed. After that, Fher (the lead singer) wore our t-shirts and asked people not to eat sea turtle meat or eggs and help this endangered species survive.”

Baby sea turtles

You can also work with WiLDCOAST/COSTASALVAjE as a volunteer or an intern to help preserve the wild coast. The internship program offers an incredible opportunity for students to gain college credit, while learning new skills, helping to conserve the environment and gaining a better awareness and understanding of coastal ecosystems. The program offers positions in ecotourism, communications, wildlife conservation education and web design and runs quarterly, with openings in the winter, spring, summer and fall.

According to Dedina, as a volunteer for WiLDCOAST/COSTASALVAjE, you will help clean up beautiful beaches, give talks to school children about saving sea turtles, attend a Maná or Los Tigres del Norte concert to hand out literature on saving sharks and sea turtles, ask legislators to create Marine Protected Areas, and even protect the nests of baby sea turtles in Mexico.

Baby tortuga

In 2003, Dedina received the Surf Industry Association  “Environmentalist of the Year” Award and in 2009, in recognition of his efforts to preserve the coastline of the Californias, he received the San Diego Zoological Society’s Conservation Medal and the California Coastal Commission’s “Coastal Hero” Award.

“I am lucky that I am in a dream job. I am very fulfilled doing this work, and have been lucky to be joined in this effort by my wife and children in our adventures in Mexico (and even in Australia and New Zealand). Last week I was in San Ignacio Lagoon with my friend Ivan Carrillo of CNN-Mexico and the editor of Quo Magazine to see gray whales, surfed a beautiful beach in central Baja California, and now am in Vancouver Island to give a talk about gray whale conservation at the Pacific Rim Whale Festival.”

In addition to receiving his Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Texas at Austin, Dedina is also the author of “Saving the Gray Whale,” a book based on the three years he lived in the gray whale lagoons of Baja California and his new book, Pirate Sea: Dispatches from the Coast of the Californias will be published in 2010.

“In the end, the most amazing experiences we can have are outdoors in the stunning ocean wilderness that is just outside our doorstep. It is worth all the effort to make sure that there are a few places left on the planet that remind us of what wild is supposed to be.” – Serge Dedina

CONTACT INFO:

WiLDCOAST
925 Seacoast Dr.
Imperial Beach, CA 91932
Tel: 619.423.8665
Fax: 619.423.8488
www.wildcoast.net

COSTASALVAjE, A.C.
Las Dunas #160 – 101
Fracc. Playa Ensenada
Ensenada, B.C. 22800, México
Tel:  +52 (646) 152-1518
Fax: +52 (646)152-1602

www.costasalvaje.com

*All photos used with permission from WiLDCOAST/COSTASALVAjE

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Susie Albin-Najera
Susie Albin-Najera is the creator and editor of The Mexico Report, an award winning travel blog showcasing news, deals and resources for the modern traveler. Najera is a writer, author, travel blogger, marketing and public relations specialist and producer. Najera serves on the host committee for Maestro Cares, founded by singer Marc Anthony and producer Henry Cardenas; and on the advisory board for Corazon de Vida, providing aid to children in Mexico. She is also the creator of 'The Real Heroes of Mexico' showcasing community heroes in Mexico and producer of Latino Thought Makers. Najera has been recognized by the Mexican Consulate and Mexico Tourism Board for fostering positive relations between countries and her dedication to showcasing Mexico as a premiere destination. She can be reached at info@themexicoreport.com

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