Mexico Creates Southern Gulf of Mexico Reefs National Park, Largest Protected Area in the Gulf of Mexico | Oceana

Victory | September 30, 2024

Mexico Creates Southern Gulf of Mexico Reefs National Park, Largest Protected Area in the Gulf of Mexico

Mexico has created the Southern Gulf of Mexico Reefs National Park, now the largest marine protected area (MPA) in the Gulf of Mexico. The area spans more than 40,000 square kilometers (15,000 square miles) of ocean habitat. Located off the coast of the Campeche and Yucatán, its National Park status provides the highest level of conservation protection in Mexico, including against offshore drilling and deep-sea mining. The Southern Gulf of Mexico Reefs National Parks connects the Alacranes Reef National Park and the Bajos del Norte National Park, creating a conservation corridor to safeguard habitat that is home to more than 3,000 marine species. These protected areas will also benefit small-scale fishers by increasing abundance of their catch and by creating a refuge for fish to reproduce and thrive. Oceana’s scientific expeditions to the area, subsequent findings, and collaboration with the federal government and small-scale fishers was instrumental in establishing this new MPA and the Bajos del Norte MPA in January 2024.