Conservation strategy for Healthy Reefs in Cozumel •
The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) in coordination with the three-level of government, and on close alliance with the Advisory Counsel of the “Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park”, will maintain a temporary and partial suspension of tourist and recreational activities within the Natural Protected Area, starting on “Palancar” reef and covering the entire area of restricted use.
•
“Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park” has available, from October 7th, eleven reef sites and the wreck “C53 Felipe Xicotencatl” to perform tourist activities.
Cozumel, Quintana Roo September 23rd, 2019.- As part of the strategies for the attention to the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), in collaboration with the Advisory Counsel of this National Park, will implement starting on October 7th, 2019, a temporary suspension of the subaquatic activities from “Palancar” reef through the whole area of restricted use, that includes the reef of “Colombia” and the site denominated “El Cielo”. The temporary suspension of the activities is a positive and needed action for the health of the reef. The objective of this strategy is to give a rest to the best-conserved reefs of the National Park and to contribute to its recovering due to SCTLD, along with this, we are taking other actions to address the quality of water within the National Park. These actions are sustained with scientific and technical studies teaming up with the Institute of Marine Science and Limnology of the UNAM, with the UAM of Iztapalapa, a few ONG and the CONANP itself. To achieve the success of our strategy, we will work in coordination with the Secretary of Navy (SEMAR), the Harbor Master of Cozumel, the Government of the State of Quintana Roo, and the Municipal government of Cozumel along with the Advisory Counsel of this Natural Protected Area. The partial and temporary suspension will be for the tourist and recreative activities in the area; keeping in mind that according to studies made by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the 80% of the activity of diving and snorkeling in Cozumel, happens within the National Park area, and that it gets a million 800 thousand visitors per year; and that the average of them would agree on paying three thousand and 52 pesos per person on any trip to maintain the reefs on its better shape of conservation. On the other hand, losing aspects like the transparency of the water
Calle 4 Norte No 356 entre 15 y 20 Av. Col Centro. Cozumel, Q.ROO C.P 77600 Tel:(987) 8724689 y 8724275 acozumel@conanp.gob.mx www.gob.mx/conanp
and the biodiversity, Cozumel and its reefs could lose the 12 % of the tourism business per year, which is estimated as one thousand five hundred and ten millions of pesos every twelve months. With this in mind, to assure that the objectives of conservation of the area will successfully be applied, the sites above mentioned will have supervision and surveillance, scientific monitoring and actions of social communication, that will include periodic meetings to evaluate the advance of the action plan. It is important to highlight that the “Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park”, counts with 14 reefs sites to perform subaquatic activities, however, the suspension of activities will only be in three of them, the remaining eleven and the wreck C53 “Felipe Xicotencatl” will still be available. ---------00000---------
Calle 4 Norte No 356 entre 15 y 20 Av. Col Centro. Cozumel, Q.ROO C.P 77600 Tel:(987) 8724689 y 8724275 acozumel@conanp.gob.mx www.gob.mx/conanp