Once refuge for whales and fishermen, the San Ignacio lagoon, located inside the Biosphere Reserve of El Vizcaíno, (in the lower California of the South, one of the 31 federated states of Mexico, in the north-western part of the country) yes It was transformed into a decline territory, in which the mangroves, natural guardians of the coasts, had retired, leaving the village of El Delgadito exposed to the moods of the ocean.
Fortunately, where nature retraced, the firmness of a man advanced: David Borbón, fisherman without academic titles but tenacious person with a great spirit of observation, found a way to give life to an ecosystem that seemed lost.
A threatened paradise
When Borbón arrived in El Delgadito in 1980, the village was a real Eden. The sea abounded with fish and crustaceans, the coast was solid and protected by dense mangroves, an earthly paradise that unfortunately was not destined to last forever. Excessive fishing and extreme weather events have in fact altered balance, eroding the earth and erasing entire expanses of trees. Between 1990 and 2005, the lagoon lost over 2,500 hectares of mangroves, leaving local communities without protection and resources.
The mangroves are extraordinary trees (we have already talked about it in this article) which can help the man under multiple aspects, and without them the ecosystem of El Delgadito risked collapsing.
The challenge of reforestation
Bourbón knew that restoring the mangroves was essential, but there was no manual to do it. The first attempts, following traditional methods used in other regions of Mexico, failed. The plants grew in the nursery but died once transplanted, because the semi -desert climate of El Delgadito was too hostile for standard methods.
Where science did not offer immediate answers, Bourbón relying on observation. It passed hours among the remaining mangroves, studying their behavior. He understood that the key was direct sowing: planting the seeds in their natural environment, respecting the rhythms of the lagoon. With the support of his wife Ana María Peralta and daughter, he refined the method, managing to obtain concrete results.
A success beyond all expectations
A study published in Nature in 2018 confirmed the effectiveness of the Borbón method: in three years 30,000 new mangroves had been planted with a survival rate greater than 90%. Today, the project has planted over 1.8 million trees, transforming El Delgadito into a reforestation model for all of Mexico.
Marco Antonio Gonzalez Viscarra, director of the Biosphere Reserve of El Vizcaíno, recognized the importance of the project: “He contributed to the mitigation of climate change and the protection of the community”. Although the reserve has provided some funding, the heart of the project remains the tireless work of local fishermen.
Sirens in mangroves
Once upon a time, the fishermen saw mangroves as an obstacle: intertwined roots, uncomfortable branches, a hindrance for boats. Today, thanks to the determination of Bourbón, they understood their great value and the transformation was not only of an environmental but cultural type.
Bourbon loves to joke about his obsession with mangroves.
“My wife says that I have a lover, that I pass the nights with the sirens in the mangroves,” he says laughing. The truth is that he dedicated his life to these plants, studying them with almost obsessive attention.
The secret of his success? No magic, only great respect for nature. “If you try to force her, do you fail. You have to listen to it, observe and adapt, ”he explains. His methodology, based on direct experience, has shown the world that environmental restoration is not always an exact science, but an art that requires sensitivity and dedication.
A future rooted in nature
Today, El Delgadito is no longer just a fishing village, but a symbol of resistance and ecological innovation. The community has shown that, with patience and commitment, the damage caused by man and climate can be reversed.
Bourbón’s project is a history of environmental success, an example of how the best solutions often arise from direct observation and love for their territory. And who knows, perhaps also from listening to some siren hidden among the mangroves.