Tres Emes is a special spot for Ensenada locals and visitors alike Surfers in Ensenada, Mexico were caught off guard when the presidential administration unveiled plans to expand one of the city’s ports into surf zones. The proposed new breakwaters would encompass several surf spots, including the popular break Tres Emes. During a conference held by President Claudia Sheinbaum on December 5, the port director of Mexico’s Navy discussed the expansion of six of the country’s ports – among those a $5.7 billion peso (USD $276 million) plan to increase the size of both ports in Ensenada The plan would turn Ensenada’s smaller fishing port into a shipping port capable of receiving container ships with a roughly mile-long breakwater parallel to the coast Tres Emes and several other waves in the area would be destroyed According to Gino Passalacqua an Ensenada surfer with a PhD in oceanography and advisor for Save the Waves locals have rejected several attempts to expand El Sauzal’s port dating back to 2009 the plans released during the recent presidential conference came out of the blue; there was no prior indication of the project which is scheduled to begin in 2025 and finish by 2028 Passalacqua was part of a local delegation that met with government representatives to stress the dangers of the port expansion “When we started explaining the consequences of what it means to have a port this big (the government representatives) were like deer in headlights,” said Passalacqua “One of the main issues that I’ve seen for coastal structures like this in Mexico is that they do impact assessment for the operation of new facilities but there’s no impact assessment for the construction process which sometimes is the most destructive part.” and it would definitely affect San Miguel (due to changes in) refraction an Ensenada surfer and physical oceanographer who also attended the meeting believes the plans presented at the presidential conference were drawn haphazardly even as construction is supposedly set to begin this year We are keeping our eyes open for when the environmental impact assessment comes back We need to ask for a public hearing to manifest our concerns and the flaws in the studies that they’ve done.” “I think the chances are very low that we will stop this port project,” added Marván “But we are hoping we can at least add our input and ask that The port threat to Ensenada’s waves comes less than a year after the surfing community publicly opposed the construction of a fish hatchery on the bluff of Tres Emes Passalacqua reports that construction on the hatchery has halted for the time being after an investor supposedly pulled out of the project The port expansion is the latest frustration of Ensenada’s surf community the city’s administration seems contradictory – promoting tourism while pursuing damaging economic development projects “There is an economic interest in Ensenada; they want a port,” said Passalacqua The government has this economic growth point of view and the vision doesn’t align with their other vision to have an international tourist area which isn’t possible without taking coastal conservation into account.” 43,000+ global companies doing business in the region 102,000+ key contacts related to companies and projects news and interviews about your industry in English The federal government announced Thursday that it will invest almost 33 billion pesos (US $1.6 billion) to modernize and expand six ports four on Mexico’s Pacific coast and two on the Gulf of Mexico The ports set to benefit from the investment are: At her morning press conference on Thursday President Claudia Sheinbaum described the investment as “very significant.” She noted that the outlay is in addition to investment in the ports in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, and Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz. Those two ports — the former on the Pacific side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the latter on the Gulf of Mexico side — are being modernized and expanded as part of the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT) project The Mexican Navy’s general director of port promotion and administration Marco Antonio Martínez Plancarte provided the details about the investment in the six “strategic” ports of Ensenada Lázaro Cárdenas and Acapulco on Mexico’s Pacific coast and Veracruz and Progreso on the Gulf coast The Pacific ports are Mexico’s gateway to Asia while the Gulf of Mexico ports provide access to Europe and the Gulf and East coasts of the United States A total of 5.74 billion pesos (US $283.7 million) is set to be invested in the port in Ensenada located about 100 kilometers south of Tijuana on the Pacific side of the Baja California peninsula Martínez noted that the Ensenada port is made up of two different precincts — one called Ensenada and the other called El Sauzal the port will be deepened and a maritime traffic control center will be built The increased depth will allow the port to accommodate larger ships the wharves and breakwater will be expanded and fishing boat docks will be relocated Martínez said that the projects will commence in 2025 and conclude in 2028 the Ensenada port precinct will only receive cruise ships while the El Sauzal precinct will receive container ships as well as fishing vessels in a separate section Martínez said that the government will invest 13.59 billion pesos (US $671.2 million) in projects in the Nuevo Manzanillo and Manzanillo San Pedrito precincts of the Manzanillo port He noted that the Manzanillo port is Mexico’s largest and the third biggest in Latin America Among the proposed projects for the Nuevo Manzanillo port precinct are the construction of two fuel terminals four container terminals and a “specialized dock” for large fishing vessels A customs precinct with the capacity to attend to 10 million shipping containers annually will also be established The private sector is slated to invest close to 50 billion pesos in the Nuevo Manzanillo project which will transform Mexico’s largest port into a major international logistics hub new docks for container ships and fishing vessels will be built and a new storage area for empty shipping containers will be established The projects in Manzanillo are set to begin in 2025 and conclude in 2029 A total of 6.14 billion pesos (US $303.4 million) has been set aside to modernize the port in Lázaro Cárdenas A range of infrastructure projects will aim to more than double the number of 20-foot-long shipping containers the port can handle on an annual basis The port’s current capacity is 4 million containers annually but projects including the expansion of docks and the construction of new access roads is slated to increase capacity to 8.2 million containers per year The port in Acapulco, battered by Hurricane Otis in October 2023 is set to receive a 386-million-peso (US $19 million) makeover Martínez said that “major maintenance” work will be carried out on the port’s “multiple purpose dock” as well as in the Jardín del Puerto (Port Garden) and a section of the port where new eateries and an entertainment precinct are slated to be installed Martínez said that 1.8 billion pesos (US $88.9 million) will be allocated to the construction of a new breakwater at the port in Veracruz The new eastern breakwater will allow the establishment of new terminals in the port and thus attract new investment The Veracruz port provides quick access to the United States’ Gulf coast, a factor that helped attract investment from U.S. brewery Constellation Brands Martínez said that a total of 7.22 billion pesos (US $356.7 million) will be invested in the port in Progreso located just north of Mérida and due south of New Orleans The federal government will contribute 5.2 billion pesos the state government will provide 1.5 billion pesos and the private sector will chip in with 525 million pesos Martínez said that the money will go to the construction of “an 80-hectare platform” that will be able to accommodate a shipyard as well as a range of terminals including ones for liquefied gas and petroleum The Maya Train railroad is expected to be extended to Progreso which would allow freight trains to take goods to the port for onward shipment by sea The modernized ports in the six aforesaid locations as well as Salina Cruz and Coatzacoalcos will complement the 10 new industrial corridors the Sheinbaum administration intends to develop As it seeks to capitalize on Mexico’s nearshoring opportunity and increase domestic production capacity in order to reduce reliance on imports from China the federal government is planning to establish specialized industrial corridors or “well-being hubs,” spanning all 32 federal entities Each corridor will focus on attracting investment from companies in specific sectors of the economy For example, the priority sectors for the Bajío corridor are automotive, data centers, aeronautical and tourism, while the trans-isthmus corridor — part of the CIIT — will focus on renewable energy The upgraded ports on Mexico’s Pacific and Gulf coasts could facilitate the export of products manufactured in the different industrial corridors which includes private sector representatives will focus on the development of the government’s “well-being hubs.” the president met with members of the Mexican Business Council (CMN) which is affiliated with the government’s advisory council Sheinbaum told reporters that she spoke to business leaders about Plan México a government initiative whose aims include increasing investment in Mexico and the development of the industrial corridors The president said that she explained to the CMN members how they could contribute to the realization of the plan “There was a commitment to work together … complement each other and invest,” she said ADVERTISE WITH MND 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world Learn more about the people behind our brand Above Ground Goldcorp announced it has successfully decommissioned the El Sauzal mine in Mexico in accordance with the International Cyanide Management Code (“ICMC”) and it will be withdrawn from the ICMC The El Sauzal mine was the first mine in Mexico to be initially certified in full compliance with the ICMC in March 2008 and was recertified in July 2011 and December 2014. It is now the first mine in the world to be decommissioned in accordance with the ICMC. The decommissioning activities implemented at the mine have successfully mitigated previous cyanide facilities such that the ICMC is no longer applicable "Goldcorp was the first gold-mining company in the world to have each of its wholly-owned mines certified under the ICMC so it is appropriate that we have become the first to successfully decommission a gold mine under the auspices of the ICMC," said Chuck Jeannes Goldcorp President and Chief Executive Officer. "This represents an important step forward in Goldcorp’s commitment to safe responsible operations throughout the entire life cycle of our projects." The ICMC is a voluntary industry program for companies involved in the production of gold using cyanide It was developed under the United Nations Environment Programme with the goal of safeguarding human health and the environment by promoting responsible management of cyanide used in gold mining In December 2015, Goldcorp’s El Sauzal gold mine in Mexico became the first mine decommissioned under the International Cyanide Management Code (ICMC) it was one of the many essential ingredients in a well-planned closure El Sauzal was the first mine in Mexico to be certified in full compliance with the ICMC which mandates triennial audits to ensure the mine is following protocols for safe transport A certified mine undergoing closure can simply withdraw from the code as the ICMC does not in fact apply to decommissioned mines general manager of reclamation operations at Goldcorp said the company chose to have its decommissioning process audited to support the code’s intention “We think it’s the right bookend to have if you’re going to manage the cyanide life cycle,” he said closure is just as important as startup in ensuring you’ve treated the environment and process correctly El Sauzal was an open-pit mine with a milling circuit followed by cyanide leaching; carbon-in-pulp processing; adsorption desorption and recovery; and refinement into doré bars Tailings went through a cyanide destruction circuit which included Caro’s acid and the INCO sulphur dioxide process and were then pressure filtered leaving only negligible cyanide in the pore water before being transported to a dry-stack facility The 2015 audit verified that El Sauzal had disposed of its remaining cyanide so thoroughly that the code requirements had become irrelevant That work took place between December 2014 and July 2015 Cormier added: “There was minimal reagent cyanide supplies in the plant when we actually shut it off because you reduce your inventory as you near decommissioning The cyanide remains in the containers it was delivered in and can be sent back to its manufacturer.” Goldcorp reported all planned shipments to Mexican regulators and tracked its progress back to its supplier The emptied cyanide mixing and storage tanks were washed using caustic soda and sodium hypochlorite and the rinse water was pumped out to the leach tanks The leach tanks continued to feed the tailings filtration plant until all solid tailings had been filtered and water and neutralizing compounds were then pumped in a closed circuit through most of the process equipment over a several week period Goldcorp did not consider the filters in need of rinsing as these followed the cyanide destruction circuit The wash water was directed to a lined containment pond where sunlight further broke down any remaining cyanide This water was then monitored until it met safe discharge limits before being discharged to the dry stack and allowed to evaporate This work was all done entirely by Goldcorp employees familiar with the practices and requirements of the ICMC Colorado-based Visus Consulting Group visited the site and interviewed staff about their process and ultimately concluded that El Sauzal had successfully been decommissioned disposing of cyanide was only a small part of the process to remediate an entire open-pit mine Goldcorp chose to return the site to a natural state similar to its surroundings the Sierra Madre of Chihuahua above the Urique River with the biggest concern being its ability to withstand heavy rain it’s about the ultimate movement of water on the site and what kind of vegetation the particular landform can support,” said Cormier “You’re dealing with the side of a mountain where there are landslides and there are ravines from water running through from hundreds and thousands of years of wear and tear So you look at the overall landscape you have and you design that structure to best withstand the conditions you can expect over the next 50 Goldcorp hired regional contractor ICSA (Ingeniería de ciudades S.A.) to construct over six kilometres of diversion channels around the site Engineers studied the existing underfoot conditions turns and intersections in different areas to identify the least erosive paths possible About half of these channels are reinforced with a lean mix concrete Quite a lot of water can build up from one mountain collection area to another and some channels are more than four metres wide and built to handle water from up to three kilometres away “Obviously it’s not going to handle water like that all the time,” added Cormier and hence some of our ditches are quite wide.” creating a hillside that leads into a flatter area with topographical diversity to support different vegetation and fauna Waste rock or alluvial materials were used to cap the tailings to prevent oxygen and water infiltration; the capping ranged from half a metre in some places to 10 metres or more in others Most of the reclaimed area was either seeded or planted over with native plants Over the last few years of the mine’s life Goldcorp employees collected specimens and propagated these in nurseries an abundant shrub that often repopulates disturbed habitats; amapa trees with bright yellow or pink trumpet-shaped flowers; and Mexican logwood revegetated site bears little trace of the process plant airstrip and employee camp that used to populate it “The equipment you can sell,” said Cormier “Our key partner in site decommissioning was Timmins Gold as it purchased the mill site and other facilities for use at another property.” Another contractor also participated in removing equipment and buildings Goldcorp sold most material used to construct the site were donated through local community groups All hazardous waste was removed and sent to a storage facility elsewhere in Mexico and waste dumps were resloped and revegetated as safety allowed The ground where any other infrastructure had stood was also reseeded El Sauzal’s remote location made logistics a challenge “You can’t run down to the corner store to get something and similarly you can’t expect a truck to leave site and return in an hour,” said Cormier “Kudos to the groups that were out there working at the end,” said Cormier “As people had to start to live in tents and campers for the last little period it made conditions more challenging than it would have been during operations but I’d say lots of teams worked extremely well together in communicating different aspects of the work.” freight needed to travel through a number of small communities not familiar with traffic Goldcorp and its contractors alerted local stakeholders to let them know what and when material would be passing through the different areas with much of that work undertaken by Timmins Gold through contractors Cormier said there were no cost-related tradeoffs required; El Sauzal’s management designed the project plan and received its requested budget in full with a sizable portion of the company’s $57 million spent on closure and reclamation last year going to El Sauzal “Smart investment up front is always going to minimize your cost and maintenance in the long term,” Cormier pointed out El Sauzal is now in its “long-term” phase of existence Reclamation work was completed in summer 2016 but Goldcorp will spend at least another few years monitoring water quality on the Urique River assessing the stability of the new landforms “We’ll continue that until we’re comfortable that the site has performed as we’ve designed and expect it to,” said Cormier Prior mine planners’ decision not to store tailings with a water cover “certainly made that facility much more simplified to close on a permanent basis,” he said before adding that tailings need to be stable no matter what kind of tailings it is “It’s how you design the entire closure to work as a single unit We looked at the entire El Sauzal site as a system and a landform that’s going to be there for many hundreds of thousands of years and our design focused on the best way we could close the site in a responsible manner – which I think we did.” The International Cyanide Management Code is a program formed in 2005 to encourage safe cyanide use among gold mining companies Alarmed by a disastrous cyanide spill at a Romanian gold mine environmental and financial spheres created an industry-funded nonprofit the International Cyanide Management Institute (ICMI) The ICMI drafted the original Code and continues to provide oversight When a mining company applies to be a signatory to the Code it agrees to abide by guidelines for cyanide storage An independent audit is required within the first three years at every mine site that uses cyanide A mine certified under the Code must only use cyanide suppliers and transporters that have also signed on to the Code Participation in the program is completely voluntary Its current roster of signatories includes 45 mining companies Proven benefits and outside financial pressure push modular construction into the mining mainstream Conuma Coal Resources plans to reopen three coal mines in eastern B.C The waves that can reach 60 feet at Baja California’s Todos Santos Islands have officially achieved world-class status The islands — along with a stretch of coastline between Salsipuedes, about 65 miles south of San Diego, to El Sauzal, on the northern tip of Ensenada — will be dedicated as a World Surfing Reserve on Saturday will join five other locations worldwide to receive the symbolic surfing designation “It’s kind of a mechanism to get the community to come up with ways of how to better conserve access, to conserve coastal ecosystems, to conserve all the things that might create those surf spots,” said Zach Plopper. He is director of coastal and marine programs at the San Diego-based conservation organization Wildcoast Wildcoast and its Mexican counterpart, CostaSalvaje, along with Mexican conservation groups SURF-ENS and Pronatura Noroeste nominated the Bahía de Todos Santos for reserve designation History and description of La Bahía de Todos Santos World Surfing Reserve Download conservation groups are expected to work with local officials and the community to manage the new reserve and promote conservation efforts One proposal is to declare a wetlands area within the reserve a state park Plopper said he also hopes the area’s World Surfing Reserve status will help save it from the kind of building boom that cut off beach access polluted water and left half-finished high rises along the coast closer to Tijuana and Rosarito “This is an attempt to keep that from happening,” Plopper said The Save the Waves Coalition based in Davenport started the World Surfing Reserves program in 2009 to bring public attention to treasured surf sites and promote their conservation The five existing reserve sites are Malibu and Santa Cruz in California Huanchaco in Peru and Manly Beach in Australia The dedication ceremony for the Bahía de Todos Santos reserve takes place in Ensenada at 3 p.m campaign alerts and news from our Coalition around the world and 10% off your first purchase at the Save The Waves Shop Privacy Policy   |  Terms & Conditions Powered by Team of Horses   |   ©2015-2025 Save The Waves Coalition but that's exactly what "The Continental" is The new three-part Peacock series is technically a prequel to the John Wick films but it's entirely centered on Winston Scott played in the original movies by Ian McShane "The Continental" stars Colin Woodell as Winston and explores his origin story tracing how he came to run a hotel that provides sanctuary for off-duty assassins and other criminals it's technically impossible Reeves could appear as John Wick in "The Continental," since his character is a child in the 1970s As fun as it would be to see Reeves play a teenager the 59-year-old actor has passed that threshold at this point which came out in 2014 and takes place in the present day so him appearing in New York City in the 1970s is not likely While there aren't too many familiar faces in "The Continental," viewers will recognize the central hotel itself, which appears in the John Wick movies. There's no actual Continental Hotel in New York City, but according to production designers Dan Leigh and Nicholas Bernstein, per NBC the fictional hotel is located at 1 Wall Street in Manhattan The facade used in the movies is actually the Cocoa Exchange building which is located at the real-world 1 Wall Street The most recent John Wick movie starring Reeves "John Wick: Chapter 4," premiered on March 24 "Ballerina," will see Reeves appear alongside Ana de Armas who plays a ballerina determined to kill the people who murdered her family "The Continental" premieres on Peacock on Sept Receive a Daily or Weekly summary of the most important articles direct to your inbox, just enter your email below. By entering your email address you agree for your data to be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy The expansion of protected areas in the EU should be guided by choosing locations that are home to the species facing “the most imminent threat of extinction” This would run counter to the current regime which prioritises the hitting of targets simply through the amount of area that is protected The EU is committed to expanding protected areas by 30% by 2030 to “halt and reverse” biodiversity loss, as agreed in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the EU Biodiversity Strategy.  the target is a collective one – and EU countries have not agreed on the level of responsibility that each country will have towards fulfilling the goal New research, published in Biological Conservation examines the extent to which current protected areas overlap with critical habitat for threatened species in the EU.  It finds that protected areas currently cover 50% of the range of threatened species. Spain, Greece and Portugal contain the greatest number of species with “imminent” threat of extinction The authors call for EU countries to prioritise expanding protected areas within countries that contain the most-threatened species rather than be guided solely by area targets.  They also call on policymakers to focus conservation efforts on islands and freshwater species.  The authors suggest that while some countries have already met their proposal means that those that are richer in biodiversity need to implement “further conservation efforts” In order to identify threatened species and their ranges in the EU, the researchers used the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) “red list” This list aims to classify species at high risk of global extinction Species in the red list are divided into nine categories ranging from species that have not been evaluated yet through to those that are critically endangered or extinct.  “endangered” and “critically endangered” categories – a grouping the IUCN refers to as “threatened with extinction” Of the 42,100 species listed as threatened with extinction globally there are 2,463 species that are found in the EU and also have maps of their range available The authors limited their analysis to species that fulfil three criteria: those that are “extant” Extant means that the species still exists Resident means the species is permanently living in the EU Native means that the species was not introduced by humans Few previous studies have included invertebrates and plants when evaluating the coverage of protected areas for threatened species Of the 2,290 analysed species in the study 505 freshwater and 947 endemic to the EU – meaning they are not found anywhere else in the world.  vertebrates and land snails are the only “comprehensively assessed” taxonomic classes in Europe This means that at least 90% of the species in these groups has been assessed in the IUCN red list 42% of freshwater fish species and 30% of snails in the EU are classified as “threatened with extinction”.  In addition to collecting maps of the ranges of threatened species the researchers analysed 127,046 terrestrial protected areas across the EU.  The majority of these – nearly 80% – are nationally designated protected areas. These areas are typically under “strict protection” regimes, meaning they are “left essentially undisturbed from human pressures”, according to the European Commission.  The remaining protected areas analysed are Natura 2000 sites a network of protected areas that are nominated by member states These sites aim to protect species listed in the annexes of both the EU’s Birds Directive and Habitats Directive and have a wider approach to conservation and the sustainable use of such areas compared to nationally designated protected areas.  According to the commission Natura 2000 is “the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world”.  These sites protect 196 species and subspecies of birds However, previous studies have criticised Natura 2000 sites for representing only a small fraction of the total number of threatened species in the EU The authors overlaid Natura 2000 sites and nationally protected areas with the ranges of threatened species to estimate the percentage of each threatened species’ range that is covered by EU protected areas (Some places are covered by both a national protected area and a Natura 2000 site designation.) The map below shows the percentage of threatened species’ ranges contained within protected areas in each country in the EU the greater the coverage of threatened species’ habitats.  the study finds that protected areas cover about 50% of the range of threatened species.  That is “a higher percentage of coverage” than previous EU-wide studies have found its results are not directly comparable to those from other studies as there has been a recent increase in both the number of protected areas and the number of species included in the IUCN red list The authors find that Natura 2000 sites cover 41.5% of the ranges of threatened species in the EU while nationally protected areas cover 34% Due to the overlap between the two types of protected areas the average total coverage across the region is 50% Dr Konstantina Spiliopoulou, a biologist at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research in Greece and the lead author of the study “What we wanted to do is compare those two [kinds of protected areas] and answer the question of which one offers better coverage to certain species But we found that they are complementing each other.”  The countries with the highest average proportions of threatened species range covered by protected areas are Cyprus (75%) Finland and Sweden have the lowest percentage of protection for threatened species – with around 12% and 14% of their ranges covered The research also identifies 71 threatened species with less than 0.1% of their ranges covered by protected areas The majority of these species are gastropods, such as Lindbergia gittenbergeri – a critically endangered mollusc species thought only to live in a single cave on the Greek island of Corfu The list also includes two mammals – the Barbary macaque and the Bavarian pine vole – as well as plants, crustaceans, insects, arachnids and lichens, such as the Ramalina portosantana a species that lives on or near the summit of the Portuguese island of Pico do Facho Of these 71 species, 44 are found only in Europe, such as Vitrea striata – a critically endangered mollusc species endemic to Spain’s Balearic Islands Greece and Portugal are the countries with the highest number of threatened species Protected areas in these countries cover nearly 50% of the range of these threatened species which the paper points out is higher than in most other EU countries these countries also have the highest number of threatened species with less than 0.1% of their ranges contained in protected areas The map below highlights that the most poorly protected threatened species are found on islands in southern Europe This includes the islands of Madeira and the Azores in Portugal; Sicily Sardinia and the Pontine Islands in Italy; the Aegean Islands Crete and the Ionian Islands in Greece; the Canary and Balearic Islands in Spain; Corsica in France; and Brac Island in Croatia.  Dr Christos Mammides is a senior researcher at Frederick University’s Nature Conservation Unit in Cyprus and was not involved in the study although the study of the coverage of threatened species by protected areas – called gap analysis – is not novel “What was really interesting about this study – and I think it’s one of the main strengths…is that they included as many species groups as possible You will see similar studies in the European literature [but] maybe focusing on birds or mammals alone.” Dr Laetitia Navarro, a postdoctoral researcher at the Doñana Biological Station in Spain mammals and amphibians have been well documented by the IUCN and that including other classes is “a nice contribution” of the study.  the study makes several suggestions to EU policymakers for achieving conservation targets One is prioritising the expansion of protected areas in southern EU countries Spiliopoulou explains that islands tend to be biodiversity hotspots. New species have often emerged on islands due to the genetic diversity that such isolated areas allow. The isolation diminishes competition between species small animals evolve into outsize versions in the absence of predators “This isolation has caused the species to be really sensitive to changes That is why we see a lot of threatened species in the southern countries and specifically on the islands.”  The study argues that even countries that have already reached the target of 30% of land covered by protected areas – such as Spain Croatia and France – still need additional conservation measures The authors call for the expansion of protected areas to be “guided by biodiversity needs rather than by percentages of area coverage”.  “Those countries have so many endemic threatened species that it is really important that they expand protected areas.” the fact that the research points out that certain countries richer in biodiversity may have to exceed 30% of protected area coverage is “an important point” The study adds that governments should protect freshwater species as their ranges are less well-covered by protected areas than terrestrial species.   although protected areas are legally designated to protect species or ecosystems the success of conservation depends on how countries implement protected areas with their respective plans to protect biodiversity and ecosystems.  The study also acknowledges that protected areas require resources and must “be effectively managed” to contribute to conservation To ensure the effectiveness of protected areas Navarro argues that the kind of management they have is “important”.  She explains that a protected area could have strict protection – with no human activity – or allow some kinds of sustainable use of ecosystems.  The latter has been the most scientifically endorsed kind of management as it allows people to “enjoy what is in the protected areas Navarro notes that ecosystem connectivity – defined as “the facility of species movements and other ecological flows among protected areas” – is crucial She explains that connectivity is important for the health of ecosystems because species need “Conservation of one species might not lead to as good an outcome as if you’re thinking of protecting a system and the interactions between species It’s not just about threatened species about places that people have a specific relationship with.” Q&A: What does the new German coalition government mean for climate and energy? The Carbon Brief Profile: Germany EU’s solar and wind growth pushes fossil-fuel power to lowest level in 40 years Q&A: Can ‘carbon border adjustment mechanisms’ help tackle climate change? Spiliopoulou, K. et al. (2023) Protected areas and the ranges of threatened species: Towards the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, Biological Conservation, doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110166 Get a round-up of all the important articles and papers selected by Carbon Brief by email. Find out more about our newsletters here Published under a CC license You are welcome to reproduce unadapted material in full for non-commercial use credited ‘Carbon Brief’ with a link to the article Volunteer Paige Stodtmeister plays with a boy at an orphanage in Baja where the Kaiizen Foundation frequently organizes volunteer trips (Kaiizen Foundation)Josh Brazier originally started the Kaiizen Foundation as a T-shirt company in Southern California outdoorsy company that would donate to causes,” he said It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in history decided to organize benefit concerts to aid those in need turning Kaiizen from a for-profit company into a nonprofit.  They started collecting donations and planned a trip down to the El Sauzal Orphanage in Baja Brazier said they fell in love with the kids After returning from that exploratory trip they decided to plan an actual humanitarian trip to Mexico and our biggest trip was about 171 people spread out over five orphanages And then we started expanding to different countries.' The Kaiizen Foundation offers opportunities for volunteers to participate in projects abroad Peru and Eswatini formerly known as Swaziland These trips occur mostly during the summer but also throughout other parts of the year Kaiizen has led over 100 trips and thousands of volunteers around the world Brazier coordinates all the projects — as a volunteer “Everything we do is for the kids,” Brazier said we're able to use our money and our resources for the betterment of the kids It kind of keeps us grounded in a very simple way.” The word “Kaiizen” comes from a Japanese word meaning “constant improvement.” Brazier said he gave the foundation the name because he realized he couldn’t solve all the world’s problems in one swoop So the organization took on the aim to do better — little by little (Kaiizen Foundation)“We have a dual mission in the sense that we help out vulnerable and orphaned children all around the world,” Brazier said “One of our main priorities is to have our volunteers who come on our trips have their eyes opened and better themselves and better their communities when they get home.” Despite the good that Kaiizen and similar groups do there is still an ongoing debate on the effectiveness of volunteering abroad Some argue that voluntourism — a brand of volunteering involving international travel — does more harm than good and volunteers should focus on serving their own community rather than traveling to serve in foreign communities for only a week or two but still feels it's extremely important for volunteers to get outside of the United States and see what life is like for other people and connect with them He said rather than coming in with his own ideas every humanitarian trip is guided and planned by the community they serve.  “I set up trips that let the community teach us about what they do best 'We always hire people on the ground to help us — we don't take away jobs from people.” Some of Kaiizen's recent projects include building a school and community center and refurbishing about 100 desks in Eswatini and constructing a fish farm in India to help community members become more self-reliant Brazier said they also support the Moyer Center in Eswatini which aids hundreds of orphans and vulnerable children They also helped start Eswatini's first male mentoring project which is now nationwide in Eswatini and is expanding to other countries.  Brazier said they have ongoing relationships with people in the places they go because of their consistency in serving those same places “We're not in it just to take the Instagram photo or the Snapchat or Facebook post BYU student Daniel Stodtmeister has been involved with Kaiizen since he was 15 years old He is the program director for the Mexico trips which Brazier explained was the introductory trip for volunteers to learn about service work in hopes of helping volunteers become more involved.  'I genuinely feel like it's a family,' Stodtmeister said 'And that's what we try to portray to (the kids) that we're not just coming to visit them and play with them and have fun in a (developing country) and then leave but we always let them know that we're coming back.' Brazier always tells volunteers they have 36 hours after a trip to make the experience into something lasting by helping others and keeping the momentum going.  He said over 4,000 volunteers have gone around the world with Kaiizen in the last 15 years and had their eyes opened These people can think about life differently and make an impact on their communities or in their families That momentum has evidently made a difference Brazier noted that many projects have been started by former volunteers both in their own communities and abroad.  BYU student Ashlyn Bacon said her experience with Kaiizen in Mexico helped her realize the little things count 'You just really get to bond with the kids,' she said 'And you actually build relationships but also feel like you're doing more for them.' she wanted to get more involved — so she applied to be an intern Interns meet monthly to plan the trips and recruit volunteers Interns for the Mexico trips also lead the projects building a wall around the orphanage to keep it up to code BYU student Ryann Woods paints a mural with other volunteers at an orphanage in Baja (Ryann Woods)BYU graphic design student Ryann Woods has been on several Mexico trips with Kaiizen and helps paint murals on the orphanage walls Woods says she enjoys artistry that can bring hope to the children 'I really do think it makes a difference to have beautiful things in their space and just have something to dream about and look towards and impact them,' she said.  Kaiizen tries to support the local businesses where they serve by buying supplies like paint and tools from the shops and eating from local vendors Bacon said she thinks college students may be hesitant to get involved with organizations like Kaiizen because of the seemingly tedious sign up process But once people realize the simplicity of getting involved She also stressed it's not necessary to know the language before going.  and we have plenty of projects and ways for people to get involved,' Brazier said The Daily Universe is an educational lab tied to the curriculum of the journalism sequence in the BYU School of Communications and is committed to the mission of BYU and its sponsoring institution The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Contact us: Dureceptionist@byu.edu By Nicholas Lander selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter La Taskita de Eduardo looks like so many of the restaurants you see in Spain: rows of tables heavy wooden chairs and a large grill that produces excellent steaks In fact it is some 1,400km from the mainland in the town of Garachico on the northern coast of Tenerife the creation of “proud Canarian” Eduardo González Méndez and began to learn about the superb meats from Galicia in the northwest He returned home to open a restaurant that would offer the same quality – not an easy feat on this rugged In the early 17th century Garachico was Tenerife’s busiest port the epicentre of the nascent trade between Latin America and Europe the lookout tower that saw in the ships has been made into a bedroom in the Hotel San Roque opposite La Taskita This northern part of Tenerife does not have the sandier beaches that attract the crowds to the south but it still has the prospect of winter sun exciting wines and good fish restaurants by the sea What I had not expected was to be so impressed by Méndez’s steaks – aged meat that is generously cut and well seasoned once cooked we were soon admonished by Méndez for failing to do them complete justice one of our party asked me a pertinent question: as a critic how much importance did I give to a restaurant’s setting And which location had impressed me most over the past year I did not have to even reach for my notebook we had followed the coast road to Buenavista del Norte Walking past banana trees and down towards the Atlantic we came to El Burgado a restaurant that seats its diners under a “cover” of colourful fishing nets From our outside table the views were magnificent – verdant mountains ahead the foaming Atlantic to our right and huge breakers rolling on to the rocky beach below goat’s cheese and duck ham Lunch began with thick slices of octopus spiced with paprika on thin slices of warm potato and continued with an excellent bottle of the local Viñatigo 2013 Listan Blanco and one outstanding main course for us all to share – a whole grilled fish known locally as sama split open and then briefly grilled again so that it was easier to pick off the flesh and enjoy the charred slivers of garlic inside the fish and the food and wine were as memorable as the setting This meal also introduced me to Tenerife’s potatoes of which there are more than 40 different varieties At another dinner hosted by an islander at home I became hooked on a variety known as negra yema de huevo the local mojo sauces (red for paprika and green for coriander) or the juices from a grilled cherne A tip-off from a friend in Madrid took us to lunch at Terrazas del Sauzal in El Sauzal where the location is once again the equal of the food the view was similar to that south of Los Angeles whitewashed houses and the blue ocean below in the distance brought us back to Tenerife a tuna tartare with pungent avocado; and a fillet of cherne with gofio and mashed corn – but terrazasdelsauzal.com Tres Emes has its day and is a special spot for Ensenada locals. Photo: Nacho Felix//Save the Waves Surfers of Ensenada, Mexico are pushing back against a new fish hatchery and nursery being built on the bluff of the surf spot, ‘Tres Emes.” With construction already underway local surfers and organizations are voicing their concerns about the detrimental impact the project could have on both the surf spot and the ecosystem The facility will produce striped bass – a fish that is native to the Atlantic coastline of North America. The company behind the project is Pacifico Aquaculture. They have commissioned another company, Billund Aquaculture to design and build the facilities on the bluff above Tres Emes as well as “grow out” sites 20 kilometers from the coast where the fish are transferred when they reach 80 grams in weight The site’s production capacity will be eight-million fish per year The opposition groups to the project – most notably Mexican environmental groups Coalición por el Sauzal and Nosotras y el Mar and the Baja California Surfing Association – have been creating social media campaigns to raise awareness Their long list of worries include excessive amounts of water that will be released from the facility into the surf zone decreased access to one of the last remaining publicly accessible surf spots in the area invasive fish species escaping into the ecosystem and environmental lawyers have reviewed documents provided by Pacifico Aquaculture One of their principal concerns is the construction of a pipe that will pump out brackish water into the ocean two degrees warmer than the ocean temperature They estimate about 1,171,000 liters of water per day will be ejected into the Tres Emes lineup Among the concerned local surfers is Gino Passalacqua in Oceanography who is the scientific advisor for Save the Waves He’s worried that the pipe could be dangerous for surfers and permanently alter the wave “We still don’t know the exact location of the pipe and the construction methodologies that they’ll use,” said Passalacqua “That’s really worrisome for everyone That amount of water is definitely going to create changes in density That could affect the dynamics of the sediment flow that creates the break On a good day (Tres Emes) is better than Lower Trestles Another strong point of contention is the seemingly inevitable escape of fish into the ecosystem concerned citizens wrote a letter to Mexico’s Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources that claims an environmental impact study regarding the project “presents false and incomplete information.” Specifically while it is true striped bass were introduced to the San Francisco Bay in the late 1800’s there’s no evidence that the species is currently found in the Pacific Ocean of Mexico the negative impacts of the projects are already having an effect Native vegetation was removed from the bluff and a new fence has left the only public vehicle access point precariously close to the edge of the crumbling bluff The construction also designated a narrow pedestrian access point from the adjacent highway Ensenada local and national para surfing champion, Barbara Garcia is among those who are standing up against the project “It’s pretty catastrophic,” said the 33-year-old Garcia The company is blocking us on social media They paint themselves as a sustainable company but their actions are doing the opposite.” Garcia also explained that a meeting between Pacifico Aquaculture and concerned locals took place Tres Emes is a valued resource. Photo: Nacho Felix//Save the Waves “During the meeting we asked them to modify the project to allow better access and leave a small piece in front of the beach so the surfers and citizens could continue using it like we always have,” said Garcia “Their response was that it was impossible and they sarcastically asked us ‘Why don’t you buy the land so you can keep using it?’ They ended the meeting by saying that they don’t make the decisions and that we could write a proposal that they would pass on to their managers.” they even acknowledge that Tres Emes is one of the last public access beaches in Ensenada meaning that “minimal environmental impact must be guaranteed.” Tres Emes holds a special significance among Mexican surfers The wave hosted the first national championship in 1968 and is still a crucial training ground for promising young surfers as well as beginners And in a city that largely lacks public parks and green spaces Tres Emes has long been a refuge for surfers and beachgoers alike “Surfers in the community believe and feel that they’re losing their historical heritage by giving priority to this fishing plant and hatchery,” said Passalacqua it appears Ensenada’s surfers are losing the battle to big business “Our plan now is just to put the information out there go to media to put some pressure on them,” said Passalacqua “We’re going to keep asking for the right documents We just want to (make sure the project) has the smallest impact possible.”  © 2025 EmCan Media - Hosted By canaryfone Emergency services successfully rescued a 12-year-old boy from the sea yesterday afternoon (Saturday) but haven’t been successful so far in finding the adult who was with him after they were both swept into the sea by strong waves from a cave at Playa Rojas beach in El Sauzal The Emergency Services Coordination Centre (CECOES) reported that around 4:45pm an off-duty National Police officer made an alert call had fallen into the sea due to the strong waves at the above-mentioned beach CECOES immediately activated the GES helicopter According to the information provided by the off-duty policeman and the boy was swimming to get away from the breaking waves The helicopter was the first at the scene and located the child in the water so the crew hoisted him onto the aircraft and flew him to a nearby platform paramedics were waiting to provide medical assistance suffering from hypothermia and moderate abrasions was transported by ambulance to the HUC Hospital along with a woman who was experiencing anxiety Firefighters at the scene collaborated with health and rescue teams but the rough waves and sea conditions prevented them from rescuing the other person had disappeared in one of the caves in the area The GES helicopter returned to the location where the affected person went missing until it was relieved by the Maritime Rescue helicopter which continued the search without success A Maritime Rescue boat joined the sea search operation Firefighters and medical staff all collaborated but Guardia Civil agents stayed in the search area overnight and the operation resumed at first light this morning The Tenerife Cabildo has launched a major reforestation project with more than 30,000 trees already planted on the northern slopes of Tenerife as part of an ambitious initiative to restore 500 hectares of land damaged by the devastating wildfire of 2023 alongside the Councillor for the Natural Environment visited the reforestation site near the Las Calderetas recreational area in El Sauzal this week and planted some trees themselves during their visit Dávila highlighted the progress made “We have already planted over 30,000 trees and our goal is to reach 40,000 by the end of February we aim to restore around 500 hectares of land that was destroyed.” She also explained the ecological approach being taken: “We are removing radiata pine we are introducing non-tree species like the bicácaro (Canarina canariensis) a plant characteristic of the laurel forest ecosystem.” Blanca Pérez emphasised the dual purpose of the reforestation efforts: “We are replacing the radiata pine to helping to preserve the original flora and the monteverde species act as a natural firebreak as they retain moisture from both rainfall and cloud condensation stressed the importance of community involvement in the project stating that these activities provide an opportunity for residents to learn about native species and the restoration work being undertaken The reforestation efforts are focused on 505 hectares across the municipalities of El Sauzal with an estimated budget of €1.5 million is being carried out by the public company Tragsa In the areas most affected by the 2023 wildfire the Cabildo has prioritised replanting native tree species such as heather These efforts aim to establish a canopy that will protect the soil from erosion while restoring the damaged landscape A 70-year-old man was tragically killed yesterday afternoon (Saturday) after accidentally falling from the popular Mirador La Garañona viewing point in the municipality of El Sauzal The emergency services received an alert from members of the public who had seen him fall at just after 5:20pm informing them that the man had slipped and fallen down the cliffs near the popular viewing point and needed help and SUC medical personnel to the location given to attend to him they soon realised they couldn’t access him due to the difficult terrain near the coast Due to this they requested that a GES helicopter be sent to reach him and airlift him to safety they found the man floating face down in the water and the crew confirmed that he had died from his injuries the Guardia Civil took charge of guarding it until the judicial authorities gave permission for it to be taken for identification and an autopsy to confirm the cause of death through the General Directorate of Emergencies has declared a pre-alert situation for rain in La Palma and San Cristóbal de La Laguna will be exempt and the measure in Gran Canaria will affect Gáldar The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) forecast for Monday of intensity equal to or greater than 15mm per hour particularly along the southern and western slopes during the early hours of the day while the northeast and eastern slopes may see increased cloud cover and light rain later in the day Temperatures will remain largely stable across the archipelago though some slight decreases in maximum temperatures are possible Thermometers are expected to range from highs of 24°C in Tenerife to lows of around 12°C in El Hierro but may intensify along the southeastern and northern coasts during the afternoon winds will shift to come from the northwest Strong winds are also forecast at higher altitudes the forecast calls for cloudy skies during the first half of the day On the easternmost islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura scattered rain in the second half of the day although any precipitation is expected to be minor Temperature readings on Monday will range from a high of 23°C in Gran Canaria to lows of around 15°C in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura residents and visitors are advised to stay alert to changing weather conditions especially in areas prone to heavy rainfall or strong winds Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The Tenerife Cabildo ordered the preventive evacuation of approximately 120 residents living in the Las Calderetas and Carril del Polvo areas in Ravelo (El Sauzal) yesterday afternoon due to the reactivation of the island's forest fire Around 500 dogs from the Adepac shelter and approximately 50 horses have also been relocated as Intense heat and winds led to additional flare-ups during the day in Santa Úrsula and La Orotava Due to the unfavourable evolution of the wildfire reactivation in El Sauzal the Cabildo requested that the Government of the Canary Islands declare a Level 2 emergency with Military Emergency Units (UME) being activated to assist in firefighting efforts reported that there were several flare-ups in the forest fire that has been affecting the island since August 15th which was at level 1 since last Friday in the municipalities of Santa Úrsula who initially sought refuge at the El Sauzal Sports Pavilion about 500 dogs from the Adepac shelter and 50 horses have been moved to the facilities at the Casa del Ganadero in La Laguna Dávila emphasized that during the day ten helicopters and two more aircraft from the Canary Islands Government were engaged in firefighting efforts joining approximately 90 personnel on the ground including forest brigades from the Island Council military personnel and additional Consortium Firefighters were deployed to protect residential areas Davila explained that the increase in the alert level was due to the inability of helicopters to operate during the night and "in anticipation of strong winds with gusts of up to 50 or 60km/h and forecasted high temperatures which could complicate nighttime operations." Despite the fire starting on August 15th and being declared under control on September 11th it has not been completely extinguished due to recurring flare-ups which have become more frequent in recent weeks There have been many small reactivations because when the subsurface fire reaches the surface Pedro Martínez explained that “wind forecasts make us cautious because there could be an ember shower we have decided to evacuate people from these areas in Ravelo The wind was blowing towards the east throughout the afternoon pushing the fire towards the forest area of Tacoronte although it was still advancing in the municipality of El Sauzal.” “The resources deployed resemble those for a major wildfire because the fire is advancing both in burned and unburned areas.” He stressed that "the risk is that an ember could jump into an adjacent unburned area near a residential area so efforts are focused on preventing such spread.” A chilling incident unfolded in Tenerife on Monday as a partially constructed 22-story hotel on the north coast of the island suffered a significant collapse located in La Matanza de Acentejo in Añaza was abandoned in the 1970s and is due to be demolished soon Startled onlookers along the Las Rojas coast in the neighbouring town of El Sauzal wondered what was happening when they heard a huge crash as a large central part of the old construction collapsed and caused a landslide down the cliffs below the debris tumbled down the cliffs and into the sea without causing any personal injuries or harm to surrounding buildings The Santa Cruz council announced in September that they have awarded the contract to take down the building which has been an eerie landmark in Tenerife for 50 years on many occasions to locate the owners of the site to get the structure removed as it is a privately owned site so the law dictates they couldn't just knock it down it has now been classed as a dangerous structure This incident on Monday shows it is the correct decision