CORAL reefs
Challenges
To establish 74,000 acres of marine protected areas for the preservation and restoration of the coral reef.
To establish a permanent and systematic program to study the health of the 373-mile stretch of reef along our Mexican Caribbean coasts to support science-based decision-making in regards to its most adequate management and conservation.
To expand the work with the hotel industry in the Mexican Caribbean to increase their operative efficiency and to reduce their environmental footprint.
To promote the implementation of the Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative (MARTI) Guide to Planning, Design and Sustainable Construction in the Mexican Caribbean in all future tourism developments.
actions
general
To establish 74,000 acres of marine protected areas for the preservation and restoration of the coral reef.
To establish a permanent and systematic program to study the health of the 373-mile stretch of reef along our Mexican Caribbean coasts to support science-based decision-making in regards to its most adequate management and conservation.
To expand the work with the hotel industry in the Mexican Caribbean to increase their operative efficiency and to reduce their environmental footprint.
To promote the implementation of the Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative (MARTI) Guide to Planning, Design and Sustainable Construction in the Mexican Caribbean in all future tourism developments.
marine ordering
After years of efforts, which came to a consluision last November, the Marine Ordinance of Playa del Carmen was published by the Mexican Government. It´s the first of its kind ever published in Mexico and it is a part of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea Ecological Ordinance and is the product of the political leadership of the Solidaridad Municipality , the Natural Protect Areas National Commission (CONANP), under the technical leadership of Amigos de Sian Ka’an.
This document will ensure the health of the reef and will take better care of the swimmers, boat and all tourist activities.
marine conservation
We promote the creation of protected areas and marine ordinaneces to preserve the second largest coral reef in the world, based on scientific research and constant monitoring of the reef´s health.
We also work with the tourism industry under the Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative (MARTI) by encouraging the use of best practices to reduce the environmental impact on the marine environment brought about by the construction and operation of hotels in the Mexican Caribbean.
fishing shelters
The new Program Management for the 3 areas that make up the Sian Ka'an complex was subjected to a public consult by National Comission of Natural Protected Areas ( CONANP) .
The new program includes three marine sites that serve as buffer zones to limit human activity in order to guarantee the health of the reef.
These sites originally proposed by Amigos de Sian Ka'an, serve as important fishing refuges in Quintana Roo.
accomplishments
A 94,000-Acre Marine Reserve
Several years of hard work brought about the results of the joint effort between Amigos de Sian Ka’an and the National Commission of Natural Protected (CONANP), through an official decree that was signed by the Mexican President, which establishes a Wildlife Protection Area that encompasses almost 38,000 hectares (over 90,000 acres) of ocean and wetlands in Cozumel Island. This federal decree concludes the management process, which included the 2011 state decrees that focused on the forests and wetlands of Cozumel and the Chichankanab Lagoon System.
In the case of Cozumel, Amigos de Sian Ka’an was able to secure 55% of the island and more than 75% of its coast and adjacent seas under a conservation scheme that will guarantee that any future development activity will be sustainable and will avoid causing any damage to the environment. In addition, it was very satisfying to participate in the recent creation of the Technical Advisory Board of the new federal protected area of Cozumel and to see how the Chair of our Board of Directors was elected to preside it.
With the signing of the federal and state decrees of the aforementioned protected areas, during its 27-year history, Amigos de Sian Ka'an has promoted the creation of 13 decrees, which make it the leading civil society organization on a national level.
