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The first issue of 2020 presents a general overview of our different programs during 2019. As for the Coastal Ecosystem program it is important to highlight our extraordinary progress in the monitoring and restoration of Akumal´s coral reefs, knowledge and experience that may contribute to strengthen the strategies and action lines implemented by our allies along the Mesoamerican Reef Barrier.
In 2019 we were able to contribute to promote the active participation of the local community that may indicate a shift in sentiment towards the protection and conservation of Akumal´s natural resources. Grupo Kanan, a group of up to 16 kids (12-16ys old), was constituted to create awareness amongst the younger sector of Akumal by participating in the design of environmental education material, participating in courses-workshops-guided trips as well as festivals. This represents an asset for the fulfillment of CEA´s objectives in the longer term.
Similarly, we were able to consolidate our Akumal Cero project which focuses on the separation, classification, reuse and recycling of Akumal´s solid waste. This was possible by promoting an active participation of local allies, institutions, persons and companies that was higher in 2019 than in 2018.
As for the turtle program concerns, 2019 represented the second highest records of turtle nests, number of hatchlings and survival percentage, since we first started our records back in 1995. This time we witnessed the nesting of a Hawksbill turtle specimen that nested, firstly, in Akumal, then in Xcacel-Xcacelito and finally in Cancun, information gathered from our permanent tagging project that allowed a constant exchange of information with our colleagues from other Quintana Roo turtle camps.
The annual Turtle Festival, in October, comprising the venues of Xcacel-Xcacelito-Akumal and Tulum counted with a high participation of Tulum´s society. This time CEA hosted Akumal´s venue at the "Akumal pueblo" basketball court witnessing a great attendance.
Last but not least is the Tourism impact on turtles project that gathered relevant information mainly on the swim with turtles activity that may be useful for decision making for a better ordering of the Akumal Bay tourist activities.
Finally, at the moment of dropping these lines I had to adjust my expectations for CEA´s 2020 programs and projects due to the current situation of the COVID-19 which has impacted severely the whole world. In CEA we have in mind to reinforce our programs with the support of local volunteers that have always contributed in the protection of our natural resources and this year are very keen to continue being an asset for Akumal´s community.
Although uncertainty prevails all over the world at CEA we are prepared to return to our normal activities with more energy, willingness and aware of how much we can contribute to make Akumal a sustainable tourist destination.
In the next issue, April-June, we will inform you about out CicloSiete-Sustainability week and the 50th anniversary of Earth´s day, the courses for local guides, workshops, turtle program, and the final status of the coral reef restoration project.
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The CEA will teach the training and updating course to nature-oriented tourist guides endorsed by SECTUR-ICTUR
In addition to instructing how to guide a group with professionalism, the course aims to train the guides themselves to detect the changes in the marine-coastal ecosystems (early warning), that sustain their commercial activity.
Recently, CEA received authorization to teach the course "SEA TURTLES, THEIR ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM ACTIVITY", from the
Instituto de Competitividad en el Turismo (Tourism
Ministry
)
, since the CEA is a official training institution...
Learn more
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Scientific
REPORTS
Caretta caretta nesting activity on Akumal Beaches, Mexico
NOW PUBLISHED
Mexico has made substantial contributions to marine turtle protection and conservation, especially since 1990. Several conservation projects entail monitoring efforts to recover nesting territories for marine turtles. The Sea Turtle Protection Program of Akumal, in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, was created in 1993 and was developed by the Akumal Ecological Center. This paper provides the nesting ecology parameters for Caretta caretta over a protection period of 24 years (1995-2018).
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Healthy Reefs Initiative 2020 Report Card
NOW PUBLISHED
The Healthy Reefs Initiative has just published the 2020 report card on the state/health of the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR). The report card gives a detailed description of the health and status of the reef, and management details of each country in the MAR (Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Guatemala). One of the success stories highlighted this year is the creation of the Akumal Fish Refuge Zone in 2015, an initiative led by CEA in collaboration with the Fishing Co-op of Tulum and the Kanan Kay Alliance.
CEA has been a proud partner with the Healthy Reefs Initiative (HRI) for more than nine years, aiding in the data acquisition to describe the condition of the reef and sharing the achievements of its efforts.
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Phase 1 of the coral reef monitoring project
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The Coral Reef Monitoring Programme began its First Phase 2020 four weeks ago with the reception of Maria José Hernández Dueñas as Tecnical Assistant and Ainoha Woodley, a volunteer from the USA who is new to diving and has completed her Open Water certification prior to beginning with her reef monitoring training.
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Ainhoa has helped as well, with the collaboration of other volunteers like Kelsey Forrest (ex-volunteer CEA-GVI), Lara Birkart and Stephanie Beck, with the coral maintenance activities of the Coral Restoration Project granted by the MAR Fund.
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Coral Restoration in Akumal
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Under the coordination of Baruch Figueroa Zavala, Project Manager, the projects are advancing and soon the staff will start to collect data of the condition of the Akumal reef communitties, important to follow up with the coral tissue loss syndrome and the coral bleaching status. These two main issues have decimated our reefs mostly since late 2018. However, the good news is the fact that the survival rate of the almost 6000 corals we`ve outplanted on the reef is up to 75%, and many of the corals show outstanding growth!
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During the last sea turtles nesting season we had different activities with the technicians and Volunteers, those included training sessions about sea turtles biology and environmental education with the visitors. Participation of the local actors was excellent, supporting us for example in the Sea Turtles Festival. We had meetings and collaborations with the Committees state and municipal as well.
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Also we had one of the best seasons due high nesting numbers (1062 nests) and a very good survival rate (higher than 80%) for hatchlings thanks to our staff brilliant work always enthusiastic.
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Preparations for the start of the 2020 season
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This year we had started the preparations for the new coming sea turtles nesting doing arrangement to get material, equipment and supplies, and also checking volunteer applications. Part of this preparation include doing an assessment of the beaches through zonifications and after that we will do beach profiles and characterization
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The data collected is part of the overall study to determine the characteristics of the nesting beaches, and to support current theories on why turtles nest where they do.
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A big thank-you goes out to Lolha Restaurant and Snack Bar for their generous donation to kick-start the funding for our Educational programs in Environmental Education Program. Proceeds from the Super Bowl Event and Valentine's Day Dinner resulted in a total of $27,000 pesos.
Again, thank you to everyone who enjoyed their football night and romantic dinners to help support our educational programs.
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After having taken up the Reciclatón program by creating an alliance and signing an agreement with the Tulum City Council last May 2019, we have obtained a positive attitude regarding the participation of companies, despite the participation of the inhabitants of the town It has been nil, it is a challenge that we must face in this important and necessary collection program for recyclable materials.
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To date, there have been a total of 8 talks on waste separation and 18 companies have joined the program.
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We launch the new program "Identity and Nature"
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2020 is quite a challenge as new possibilities open up to explore and interact a little more directly with nature when entering a new program for the coordination of CEA's environmental education "Identity and Nature".
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The objective of this program is to highlight the importance of native plant and animal species that make up part of the natural wealth of Akumal ecosystems, learning what nature represents and its fragility so that they can become aware of the need to take care of it.
For the inauguration of this new program we had as a guest Emiliano Zarazúa of the Urban Bird Program (PAU), we also had the presence of the Kanan group, CEA volunteers and residents who joined this new adventure to recognize the wonders of the nature that surrounds this beautiful place that we are proud to protect in our institution.
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Akumal No Fishing Zone: current status 5 years after its decree.
The Akumal No Fishing Zone (ZRPA by Spanish acronyms), has generated mixed results. It has not been fully adopted by the local community, thus, during this period, the decrease in overfishing has been negligible, as one of the most significant precursors of reef degradation in Akumal.
By Iván Penié.
ZRPA with the highest number of illegal fishing - "A": spear fishing and "C": fishing with lines or rods.
Since its decree, the ZRPA, the first fishing refuge decreed outside an ANP in Mexico, has had little surveillance by SADER (formerly SAGARPA, Mexican agrarian and fishing ministry)...Learn more.
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Volunteers are the heart and soul of CEA. Whether they are in the field monitoring and collecting data or imputing it for reports, their work plays a critical role in fulfilling our mission of conservation and protection through research, education and policy.
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Name: Silvia Hernández
Program: Environmental Education
Project: Akumal Cero
WHY CEA?
Location: It is a beautiful place where you can observe different flora and fauna; The best known is the observation of turtles, however, you can also observe a wide variety of fish, birds and reptiles. It is very close to Tulum and Playa del Carmen, in case you want to explore other places.
Staff: Their work team is very dynamic and diverse, the collaborators are respectful, friendly and have a lot of experience that they will undoubtedly be willing to share, they will always be there to support you with any questions that may arise.
WHAT ACTIVITIES DID YOU DO?
I support the Environmental Education Coordinator with the following projects:
Akumal Cero:
- Make a preliminary stakeholder map with the aim of identifying those interested in participating in the Akumal Zero and Recycling Program.
- Prepare a preliminary proposal for a distinctive program that motivates companies to implement strategies that promote the sustainability of natural resources.
- Participation in a workshop on Biointensive Orchards in elevated terraces.
- Environmental Education:
- I participated in the delivery of environmental education classes to the students of the community's primary school, supporting with the elaboration of didactic material.
Environmental Group Kanan:
- I participated in the activities that take place with the Kanan group on Saturdays, which is made up of children and youth from the Akumal community, my favorite was bird watching in the company of a volunteer from the PAU program (Urban Bird Program) .
THOUGHTS ON THE EXPERIENCE
It is an experience that I highly recommend, Akumal is a place that you will fall in love with its beautiful views, it has all the necessary services to spend a very pleasant time. You do not get tired of exploring its beach and enjoying the sunrises, you are also very close to the town of Akumal where you can explore the local culture and gastronomy. Finally I had the opportunity to meet and live with Ainhoa; a young woman full of positive energy who helped me put my english into practice.
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Name: Ainhoa Woodley
Program:
Coral Reef Communities
Project: Monitoring
WHY CEA?
In the beginning of this year, I began looking for an organization centered with a focus on the environment or human rights, in a Spanish-speaking country. I chose Centro Ecologico Akumal because I strongly believe in the environmental efforts they strive for, especially when it comes to educating the community and tourists how to aid the environment, and how to travel in a "greener" way. I believe CEA is working towards this, and creating programs with this mentality, and I wanted to help the team for these reasons.
WHAT ACTIVITIES DID YOU DO?
I went to work as a volunteer with the Coral Monitoring program, for twelve weeks. But I also had many opportunities to help the team with other events and programs, if help was needed.
THOUGHTS ON THE EXPERIENCE
The Coral Monitoring program was one of the most incredible experiences I have had in my life. I went without any knowledge of marine biology, let alone diving and coral reefs, but with the help of the CEA team, it was easy to learn and get into a daily rhythm. I learned something new every day, inside and outside of the office, and if I had the opportunity to do it again, I certainly would.
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Our page can already be found in both English and Spanish!
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Volunteer Opportunities
Sea Turtle Protection Program
JUNE-SEPTEMBER
Volunteers are asked to make a minimum one-month commitment to assist our turtle team with various activities which can include some or all of the following, depending on the time of the season: behind the scenes work (stake-painting, marking), morning beach patrols, data collection, night patrols and educational/outreach activities.
Coastal Ecosystems Program
Coral Restoration and Monitoring
Volunteers will take part in the following activities: monitor the reef crest and participate in specific outplanting techniques by SCUBa
Environmental Education
Volunteers can help in the different environmental and social activities, and improve their skills, values and those of the beneficiaries, by making a difference forming a new culture of respect and love for the nature.
Learn more
If you are looking for an internship or ways to incorporate responsible tourism activities into your travel plans, write to us at communications.ceakumal@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you and see how we can work together.
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We are always in need of tools and equipment to work with the Elementary school in Akumal town, if you are going to come, passing this hard situation or you want to know how we spent the donations we receive, you can check our wish list for our program of Environmental Education.
DOWNLOAD NOW...
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Help support our conservation efforts.
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