Bahía de Todos Santos in Ensenada was designated as a Site of Regional Importance for the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN).

This nomination is the result of a joint effort between the non-profit organization Terra Peninsular, the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada (CICESE in Spanish) and the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). With the support of the Secretariat of Environmental Protection (SPA in Spanish), the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp in Spanish) as the administrator of the Ramsar sites in Mexico, the XXII Council of the city of Ensenada, the Participatory Environmental Monitoring Committee of  Punta Banda, the non-profit organization Pro Esteros and the local population.

The polygon acknowledged by the WHSRN in Bahía de Todos Santos in Ensenada, Baja California covers 5166 acres approximately of representative habitats for a myriad of seashore birds. It includes ecosystems like dunes, marsh, rocky and sandy beaches.

It is worth mentioning that the Estuary of Punta Banda has been designated as a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar convention, and it is a place acknowledged by the National Commission for Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO in Spanish) as an  Important Bird Conservation Area.

The bay greets more than  4% of the snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus) population in the Pacific, which is a threatened species both in Mexico and the United States. It also hosts over 1% of the willet (Tringa semipalmata inornatus) and the marbled godwit (Limosa fedoa) population.

In addition to the importance of the site for nesting and reproduction of the snowy plover, Bahía de Todos Santos welcomes an important number of red knots (Calidris canutus roselaari), a migratory bird that is also endangered in Mexico. The bay, especially the Estuary of Punta Banda, is also a reproduction and nesting site for the least tern (Sternula antillarum browni), which has special protection in Mexico.

With the appointment of Bahía de Todos Santos, there are now 99 WHSRN sites in 15 countries that cover over 37 thousand acres of seashore bird habitats in America.

Bahía de Todos Santos joins the other 17 WHSRN sites in Mexico, which include two in Baja California: the San Quintin Lagoon Complex and the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta. In the United States, the closest WHSRN site is the bay of San Diego, in California.

The nomination of the bay is thanks to an international project named Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative directed by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. This project aims to identify and designate important sites for the migratory birds and to work alongside the commissions for the protection of these sites.

Terra Peninsular and CICESE continue carrying out the biological monitoring in the site. Together, they will conduct awareness activities to inform the community of the importance of this bay and how they can help protect shorebirds and their habitats.