Chapter 2: - Center for Responsible Travel

Sustainable DevelopmentThe Foundation‘s most ambitious project has been to make sure that vision of the Villages ofLoreto Bay, as a sustainable community, was not an isolated one. The goal is to ensure that allof Baja California Sur (BCS) does not end up looking like Los Cabos with its overabundance ofhigh-rise, mass tourism resort facilities that are disconnected from the culture and naturalresources of the Baja California peninsula. The Foundation financed sustainable developmenttraining for two staff of the BCS‘ Direccion de Planeacion Urbana y Ecologia (Department ofUrban Planning and Ecology) and then worked with them and outside experts to develop a setof Coastal Sustainable Development Standards. These standards are drawn from the vision ofthe Villages of Loreto Bay as well as from best practices from around the globe. TheFoundation staff then analyzed the Mexican federal and state law to identify gaps and is nowworking with the state to pass a planning law that will fill these gaps. In the meantime, while weawait a change in the law, the Direccion de Planeacion Urbana y Ecologia asked theFoundation to create a guide for real estate developers, in order to educate them about theCoastal Sustainable Development Standards. This has been completed and 500 copies wereprinted and provided for distribution to those seeking development permits.EPILOGUE: During the 2008-9 economic recession, Citibank took over the Villages of LoretoBay project and effectively stopped the development. Regrettably, the revenues to theFoundation came to a halt and thus so did support for the community and the park.Citibank has the development up for sale. If a new buyer is found and accepts the terms of theMaster Development agreement already in place, the Loreto Bay Foundation and its revenuestream will be protected. However, if the new buyer convinces the Mexican government tochange the Master Development Agreement, the changes could include dropping theFoundation revenue concept.For more information contact:Mark J. Spalding: mspalding@oceanfdn.orgWebsites: www.oceanfdn.org, www.loretobayfoundation.org37