$1.5M Boost for Mexico’s Sea Turtle Sanctuaries

Quintana Roo, Mexico — The state of Quintana Roo has secured $1.5 million to fund the management of its Protected Natural Areas (ANP) for the next three years. Of these economic resources, half a million dollars will be allocated to an essential project focused on the conservation of the biological corridor for sea turtles in Xcacel-Xcacelito.

The project, overseen by the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp) in the central zone of the Mexican Caribbean Biosphere Reserve, led by José Juan Domínguez, aims to strengthen coordination and capabilities for managing the transversal biological corridor of the Xcacel–Xcacelito Sea Turtle Sanctuary.

The initiative, financed by MAR Fund through German cooperation (KfW), seeks to transform conservation and sustainable public use in one of the most vital regions of the Mesoamerican Reef System (SAM).

Currently, the state ANP is managed under an innovative Edu-Sanctuary Model, which goes beyond passive protection by incorporating environmental education focused on transforming visitors' awareness and promoting sustainable actions through recreational activities and learning about local natural resources.

With this project, a further goal is to guarantee responsible enjoyment and avoid overloading the ecosystem, which to date already harbors more than 10,000 protected sea turtle nests during the 2025 season, necessitating a strict visitation system.

Mateo Sabido Itzá, director of the central zone of the Institute of Biodiversity and Protected Natural Areas of the State (Ibanqroo), emphasized that Quintana Roo, with its federal and state ANPs, fulfills a primary function in the conservation of the SAM, a transborder region that shares coastal ecosystems with Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Other projects in Quintana Roo that will benefit from the funding are the Chacmochuch-Manatí Corridor in the northern zone and the project termed Transboundary Management in the Corozal/Chetumal Bay, in the south.