Aula Viva was born from Colectivo La Duna, a community integrated by local scientists, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations, environmentalists, educators, specialists in climate change, fishermen, and ranchers, from Mexico and abroad. The impacts of the climate and the unsustainable use of the beach-dune-sea ecosystems put at extreme risk the life of coastal communities throughout our state, Baja California Sur.
Aula Viva is an innovative way of community collaboration. We propose regenerative tourism as the binding and catalytic energy to promote sustainable economic opportunities in coastal communities of semi-arid areas of Mexico. It is a project of collective impact for the regeneration of ecosystems, for the sustainable management of shared resources, food security, sources of income for women and youth, and an example of a culture of sustainability.
Aula Viva our regenerative education and tourism route is the result of a participatory platform that together with the communities designs, implements and markets educational experiences focused on sustainability. Starting from La Duna, a low-impact tourist operation, the educational route visits communities through out the coastal dunes of la Paz discovering flora and fauna, geology and people discovering our whole interdependent ecosystem. The active participation of the visitor supports the planet and the host communities by learning together techniques of ecosystems' regeneration on land and sea, and how we can have a sustainable relationship with them. Discovering with science and intuitive knowledge, local tradition and ancestral wisdom, we experience how to build a healthier relationship with the Earth as the basis of our adpatation.
Aula Viva marine component integrates fishing communities with eco-tourism, citizen science, research on open sea aquaculture and sustainable fisheries, and the practice of responsible consumption. We seek to expand our program on land beyond La Duna, incorporating 30 hectares of coastal dunes and desert next to us, as a field laboratory for the regeneration of semi-arid ecosystems in hand with sustainable economic activities. In this new area we will carry out the regenerative practices of agroforestry, organic gardens and beekeeping, sustainable and humane livestock, and derived artisan products.
