Quintana Roo’s 10 Protected Natural Areas

Cancún, Mexico — Javier Carballar Osorio, the director of the Institute of Biodiversity and Protected Natural Areas of Quintana Roo (IBANQROO), has emphasized that the ten Natural Protected Areas across the state are a focal point for specific conservation efforts. The statement was made in the context of the upcoming anniversary of the Kabah ecological park in Cancún.

The director listed the ten protected areas under the state's purview: the Xcacel-Xcacelito Sea Turtle Sanctuary, the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, the Isla Contoy National Park, the Cozumel Reefs National Park, the Puerto Morelos Reef National Park, the Tulum National Park, the Manatee Sanctuary in Chetumal Bay, the Bacalar Lagoons State Ecological Park, the Chacmochuch Lagoon System, and the Kabah Park.

He outlined that the Institute's work is centered on three key pillars: the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, animal welfare, and the strengthening of the state's system of protected natural areas.

“These objectives are achieved through state policies, collaborative alliances, and strategies for sustainable development, the protection of species, and the culture of responsible ownership. There is this collaboration in practically all municipalities, and perhaps the most profound of all is with the Kabah Ecological Park in Cancún, which has a great collaboration,” he stated.

Carballar Osorio noted that all these state areas, as well as federal ones, consistently receive visits from national and foreign researchers. He indicated that there are several programs financed by the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP).

“There are researchers and students in areas like the Manatee Lagoon, in Chacmochuc, in Xcacel, and in Chetumal Bay. The majority of them are national, but we have also received foreigners from Norway, Germany, and others, especially now with the discovery of the blue hole there in Chetumal,” he stated.