Quintana Roo, Mexico — The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp) has issued an alert regarding the oversaturation of Natural Protected Areas (ANPs) with coral reefs in Quintana Roo. Key sites including Cancún, Isla Mujeres, Puerto Morelos, Isla Contoy, and Cozumel will no longer be able to accommodate more tourist vessels as part of a new management plan aimed at preventing the loss of corals.
María del Carmen García Rivas, Director General of Conservation for Conanp, explained that this measure is part of a new national management plan designed to prevent the "bleaching of corals" and to avoid their death. García Rivas was emphatic in stating that the carrying capacity of the ANPs has been exceeded, forcing authorities to take drastic measures.
“The marine park of Cancún and Isla Mujeres, Puerto Morelos, Isla Contoy, and Cozumel can no longer receive more vessels, so we will carry out reductions; we have more than 200 vessels that are not within the permitted registry,” the federal official underscored.
The Conanp strategy does not seek to stop economic development, but to regulate it to guarantee conservation. This involves reducing the number of vessels, eliminating ships that operate outside the permitted registry, and redirecting tourism to guide tourists toward more resilient zones for diving, thereby minimizing the impact on the most vulnerable corals.
As an example of successful management, she cited the operation of Isla Contoy, which implements a two-shift system for visitors (morning and afternoon), strictly respecting the carrying capacity of its reefs.
The Director of Conservation highlighted that the national effort is focused on identifying and prioritizing the most vulnerable sites, especially after the increase in sea temperature and the "stony coral tissue loss disease" have caused significant losses, as occurred in Puerto Morelos.
This and other topics are being analyzed at the XIII Mexican Congress of Coral Reefs (CMAC) being held on the island of Cozumel.
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