The Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve preserves one of the largest remaining examples of coastal wetland habitats in the southern California sub-region. The 2,293 acre Tijuana River Reserve is located in Imperial Beach, Calif., situated in a highly urbanized location, 15 miles south of San Diego and immediately adjacent to Tijuana, Mexico. Three quarters of the reserve's watershed is in Mexico, so reserve programs apply an international perspective to critical issues of habitat restoration, endangered species management, wastewater from Mexico, sediment management, and recreational use. The reserve is a home to eight threatened and endangered species of plants and birds and is recognized as a wetland of international importance' by the Ramsar Convention.

The reserve is located near Imperial Beach, in San Diego County, on the Mexican boarder.