Frequently Asked Questions

We’re a Mexican nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and managing natural areas in Baja California. Our work is focused on ensuring the long-term protection of natural areas, and to achieve this we apply a strategy that contemplates legal protection, adaptive habitat management and continuous work with communities. Learn more about us here.

We have a presence in the northwest of Mexico and focus our efforts in the Mediterranean region of Baja California, mainly in Ensenada, Sierra de San Pedro Martir, San Quintin and El Rosario. Learn more about the protected areas here.

No, we’re a civil association legally formed in Mexico.

No, we’re a Mexican non-profit organization, this means that we don’t generate income or profits, and that the resources are destined to support the organization’s cause.

As a non-profit civil organization there can be no owner. The organization is led by members of the Board who don’t receive any compensation for their work, some of them are founding members.

We develop and implement different projects in the protected areas, such as management actions, land, marine and bird conservation projects, as well as receiving visitors, promoting the Leave No Trace philosophy, and creating educational experiences and outreach projects. Learn more about the projects here.

In order to achieve our objectives, we work together with national and international authorities, universities, research institutions and civil society organizations, such as the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas, National Institute of Anthropology and History, U.S. Forest Service, UABC, CICESE, San Diego Natural History Museum, Commission for Environmental Cooperation, among others. Meet our partners, donors and allies here.

All operational staff, with the exception of the members of the Board, interns and volunteers.

César Guerrero Ávila is our Executive Director, find his profile here. To get in touch with him, please send a message using the contact form or send an email to info@terrapeninsular.org

The main office is in Ensenada. Find the address, phone numbers and contact form here.

Over 130,000 acres of natural areas (55,000 hectares) through different conservation categories: 7 Areas Voluntarily Destined for Conservation (3 of them owned by Terra Peninsular and 4 protected through an agreement), 1 Ramsar site, 2 sites of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) and 19 coastal areas of the federal maritime terrestrial zone. Learn more about the protected areas here.

We protect 3 nature reserves (Punta Mazo, Monte Ceniza and Valle Tranquilo) that are certified as Areas Voluntarily Destined for Conservation, and we have helped to certify other properties. For example, in 2019 we helped certify 3 properties in the Sierra de San Pedro Martir; and in 2021 we helped the State Government of Baja California certify the San Quintin Nature Reserve. Learn more about the protected areas here.

This is a strategy that ensures the long term protection of  threatened natural areas. We have acquired lands and we certify them with the federal government as Areas Voluntarily Destined for Conservation, it’s a voluntary scheme that allows to certify private or ejidal properties as protected areas.

Terra Peninsular A.C. is the owner of these lands.

Natural areas provide many benefits to society and our environment. For example, they purify the air we breathe, they are spaces to carry out and enjoy outdoor activities, they provide protection against natural disasters, they are spaces where productive activities are carried out that provide economic benefits, to name a few. Find more information here.

• Monte Ceniza Nature Reserve: get driving directions in Google Maps here.
• Punta Mazo Nature Reserve: get driving directions in Google Maps here.

No, there is no entrance fee. However, there is a rental fee to stay at the cabins and camping area at Punta Mazo.

Daytime visitors are not required to fill out a registration form. To stay at the cabins or camping area, please book at least 2 weeks in advance.

There are camping areas and cabins in the Punta Mazo Nature Reserve, please make your reservation at least one week in advance. Find more information here. The cabin rental and camping fee allows us to keep the place clean, maintain the cabins, have clean bathrooms and showers, etc.

After your reservation has been confirmed, please make an online donation here to pay the cabin rental fee (add the total amount).

Yes, you need a four wheel car to enter the Punta Mazo Nature Reserve due to the conditions of the road. In the case of the Monte Ceniza Nature Reserve, although the road is unpaved, it’s not necessary to drive a four wheel car.

We ask visitors to notify us for commercial or non-commercial filming, please contact antonieta@terrapeninsular.org to receive the application form.

Request more information, please send an email to Vitza Cabrera at turismo@terrapeninsular.org

We published a list of 10 things to do, find it here. 

As a non-profit organization, we depend on donations from people and companies to operate;. Also, we send proposals to national and international foundations and we compete for financial support; every year we launch campaigns to raise funds, and we have a catalog of cause-marketing products.

Organizations with authorized donee status have the right to issue receipts to donors in order for the donors to receive tax deductions from Mexican income tax.

Donations go to conservation projects and the management of nature reserves, we also launch fundraising campaigns to fund specific projects, for example to support the forest brigades. To cover administrative expenses, we ask for funding from national and international foundations.

If you make a donation through the International Community Foundation or the Endangered Habitats League (our fiscal sponsors), you can ask for a tax-deductible receipt valid in the United States. For more information, please contact Katerina Snew at katerina@terrapeninsular.org

Our work is possible thanks to voluntary contributions, if you are interested in supporting us, please consider making a donation here.

At the moment we do not have an online store, our cause-marketing products are only available in our office in Ensenada.

For these situations, the competent authority in Mexico is the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA). You can request support on 01 800 PROFEPA (01 800 776 33 72) and file a complaint here. In the case of dead animals or stranded whales, it’s important not to touch them as they can harbor diseases and put your health at risk.

Some areas in Ensenada and San Quintin are breeding areas for the harbor seal between February and April. If you find a baby seal on the beach it’s very likely that the mother will return, it’s important not to touch them, not to try to return them to the water, keep distance and keep your pets away.

For more information and to report a stranded marine mammal (dead or alive), contact Ensenada Marine Mammal Research and Conservation (ICMME) at 646 197 53 29 and share your location, photos and videos.

Write to us directly on Facebook or send an email to Antonieta Valenzuela at antonieta@terrapeninsular.org with your full name, telephone number, topic of interest and means of communication.