Isla del Carmen (Baja California)


Isla del Carmen is an island of, located in the Gulf of California, in Loreto Municipality in the eastern portion of the state of Baja California Sur, Mexico. The island is protected within Loreto Bay National Park which is within the UNESCO "Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California" Mexican World Heritage Site.

History

The tidal bay on the north east end of the island was the site of a salt producing facility run by the company Salinas del Pacifico SA de CV. The submerged remnants of a loading dock are still present off shore of the bay.

Environment

Climate

The island has a desert climate similar to that of the Sonoran desert.

Conservation

Efforts to protect the island began in 1996 when the Vida Silvestre Organization, AC and Salinas del Pacifico SA de CV began a partnership to protect the native flora and fauna. Isla del Carmen supports many bird species, such as the brown pelican, the scissor-tailed flycatcher, magnificent frigatebird and the blue-footed booby as well as various reptiles and rodent mammals. The island provides nesting sites for seabirds such as the yellow-footed gull, the sparrow hawk and the American oystercatcher.
A program to reestablish the once native Big Horn Sheep population on the island began in 1995.