A bioregion is an area that shares similar topography, plant and animal life, and human culture. Bioregions are often organized around watersheds, and they can be nested within each other. Bioregional boundaries are usually not rigid, and often differ from political borders around counties, states, provinces and nations. Ideally, bioregions are places that could be largely self-sufficient in terms of food, products and services, and would have a sustainable impact on the environment.

The South Coast Bioregional Project is based in Santa Barbara, California, focuses on Southern California, considered a distinct bioregion of California that extends from Point Conception (in Santa Barbara County) to Punta Banda, south of Ensenada, Baja Mexico. Explore and educate through historical videos and photography, scholarly writing, and art, of the South-Central Coast Region, and remember when you:  

Turn to the Mountains, Think of the Sea

Our bioregion is part of the marine-coastal interface of the Southern California Bight, a recognized ecosystem that includes the Channel Islands and the Santa Barbara Channel. This bioregion extends inland to encompass the coastal wetlands and watersheds of southern California.

During the last 150 years, coastal wetlands and watersheds have been dramatically altered or destroyed by human activities.  Most of the riparian areas of the coastal rivers and streams of the region have been lost.  Rivers have been rerouted and dammed.  Creeks have been paved and channelized.  Wetlands have been filled.  Important fresh-water and salt water inputs to coastal wetlands have been altered.  Few estuaries are open to the necessary tidal influence.  The overall general health and integrity of the region’s watersheds and wetland habitats has declined.