Quintana Roo Expands Beach Restoration Project to Cancún, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel

Cancún, Quintana Roo — A beach restoration project in Quintana Roo has widened its scope under a new environmental impact assessment that adds stretches of coastline in Cancún, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel.

Rodrigo de la Peña Segura, president of the Hotel Association of Cancún, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres, said the environmental authorization received a favorable ruling, though it attaches a series of conditions that must be met before and during construction.

Speaking during the announcement of the 38th Cancún Travel Mart, scheduled for October 22 and 23, De la Peña Segura said the new permit covers roughly 12 kilometers of Cancún’s shoreline and adds seven kilometers in Puerto Morelos that were not part of the original filing.

The project also takes in several sections of Playa del Carmen and Cozumel as part of efforts to address areas where erosion has eaten away at the coast. The hotel leader said the expansion will bring in zones where resorts have also been affected by shrinking beaches.

De la Peña Segura said two sand banks have been approved by Mexico’s Environment and Natural Resources Department (SEMARNAT) to supply the material needed for the restoration work.

Project managers are now assembling technical studies and working to meet the conditions set by environmental authorities. The analyses are being carried out separately for each area because of differences in the characteristics of the coastline.

Puerto Morelos poses one of the biggest challenges because of the protected natural areas located there. Officials requested specific studies to assess current environmental conditions and determine how the work could affect marine and coastal ecosystems.

De la Peña Segura said the technical information is still being compiled and that a fact sheet detailing the kilometers covered in each destination, along with the conditions set by the environmental authority, will be released later.