Cozumel Aims to Retain Bird City Status in Latin America

COZUMEL, Q.Roo — The Cozumel Island Foundation for Parks and Museums (FPMC) and Environment for the Americas are continuing their work to protect birds, with the goal of recertifying Cozumel as a Bird City.

The director of Environment for the Americas, Susan Bonfield, delivered materials for the commemoration of World Bird Day and expressed her interest in consolidating a strategic alliance between organizations in Mexico and the United States to ensure the continuity of conservation efforts in Cozumel.

Three years ago, the island obtained its certification as the first Bird City in Latin America, an achievement driven by institutions including the FPMC, the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp), and the Autonomous University of the State of Quintana Roo (Uqroo). Now, the possibility of recertification is an opportunity to reaffirm and reinforce the protection of local and migratory species.

Regarding this effort, the general director of the FPMC, Juanita Alonso Marrufo, stated that the work responds to the New Agreement for the Well-being and Development of Quintana Roo, which prioritizes work and the sum of efforts to conserve the environment and social well-being.

Finally, the director of Conservation and Environmental Education, Rafael Chacón Díaz, announced that the institution will also participate in the 17th edition of the Cozumel Island Bird Festival, scheduled for October 24-26. The festival is a space that brings people closer to the knowledge and appreciation of the island's birdlife.

He reported that the materials provided will be used to continue promoting the protection of different species of birds—endemic, resident, and migratory—that converge on Cozumel throughout the various seasons of the year among community members of all ages.