Cabo Pulmo is the northernmost coral reef in the eastern Pacific, and, at around 20,000 years old, it may be the oldest and most important reef in the American Pacific. The preservation of Cabo Pulmo is a local, national, and international success story. After decades of intense fishing had depleted Cabo Pulmo’s marine life, the local communities secured protected status for the reef from the government. In 1995, the State of Baja California Sur made Cabo Pulmo a Natural Protected Area; in 2000 Mexico dedicated it as a National Marine Park. In 2005, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the “Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California”. In 2008, Cabo Pulmo became a Ramsar International Wetlands Site. Read more about the Cabo Pulmo success story.