Quintana Roo seeks to expand beach restoration efforts across the Riviera Maya

Quintana Roo is turning to nature-based solutions arsenic it expands restoration efforts for Riviera Maya beaches damaged by coastal erosion.

The program includes restoring 12 kilometers of formation successful Cancún, 12 successful Playa del Carmen, immoderate 3 kilometers successful Cozumel, and 6 kilometers successful Puerto Morelos — areas wherever beaches person shrunk oregon disappeared owed to coastal improvement and utmost upwind events similar hurricanes

Quintana Roo is studying however nature-based solutions similar dune and coral reef restoration tin support its celebrated achromatic soil beaches. (Oceana/Cuartoscuro)

State Minister of Ecology and Environment Óscar Rébora Aguilera said that formation restoration is captious to debar antagonistic impacts connected tourism and to support the coastal environment.

Rébora said the authorities situation ministry (SEMA) is presently finalizing method details of the Environmental Impact Statement (MIA) to transportation retired the restoration work. He added that complementary studies are expected to beryllium completed this period successful the hopes that the national situation ministry approves the MIA earlier summertime abrogation play begins.

With the caller MIA, the authorities is seeking to grow formation restoration efforts crossed the Riviera Maya. Current biology approvals lone screen a 12-kilometer agelong of formation successful Cancún.

“In collaboration with researchers, we are seeking to grow the MIA to the areas that amusement the top erosion of beaches,” Rébora said.

According to a outer survey and monitoring programme conducted by the Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) since 2020, Puerto Morelos shows the top erosion of beaches successful the Mexican Caribbean. In the astir severely eroded areas, h2o has reached edifice structures. Experts accidental there’s nary mode to reconstruct the dunes arsenic the formation successful those places has disappeared.

Vicente Ferreyra Acosta, main of the sustainable tourism consultancy Sustentur, said that that is wherefore it is important to found dune restoration programs successful areas wherever remaining dunes tin inactive beryllium restored.

For the project, Rébora said the authorities is evaluating 2 scenarios. The archetypal 1 involves identifying sandbanks to rebuild the coastline. The 2nd script consists of rebuilding dunes damaged by edifice and condominium developments. The authorities is consulting with experts and Cuban authorities representatives to measure the anticipation of dune restoration, Rébora said.

“We can’t conscionable proceed replenishing the beach. We indispensable suggest nature-based solutions, specified arsenic rebuilding dunes and restoring coral reefs. All these elements are being considered,” Rébora said.

In summation to formation restoration, the task besides includes strengthening the coral reef successful the targeted areas. Nearly 60% of the reef ecosystem has suffered terrible harm owed to rising oversea temperatures successful caller years.

With reports from Heraldo de México, Quintana Roo Hoy and El Economista