Reef fish photo in the Puerta Maya Cruise Terminal The Puerta Maya Cruise Terminal is the gateway to the island of Cozumel for some 1.2 million tourists each year. A large portion of those tourists participate in marine recreation activities in the Cozumel Reefs National Marine Park, making the Puerta Maya terminal a key venue for improving awareness about the importance of coral reef ecosystems.

To that end, a CORAL-funded project has introduced a beautiful photographic display to the cruise ship terminal. The permanent installation inspires respect for coral reefs and the natural environment of Cozumel through eye-catching photographs and an environmental message.

The thirty-six large photographs in the display draw attention to the many beautiful and important organisms that inhabit Cozumel's reefs, as well as the conservation groups that helped to create the display. The images are accompanied by an educational message about the importance of protecting coral reefs and following the good environmental practices set out in the Voluntary Standards for Marine Tourism. The message will reach not only tourists visiting Cozumel, but also tour operators, employees operating within the terminal, and people in the local community.

Kenneth Johnson
CORAL's Kenneth Johnson gives
a speech at the inauguration

The production of the display has helped to develop important partnerships among leading conservation groups and other stakeholders working on Cozumel, including Grupo Intersectorial, Amigos de Sian Ka'an, Fundación Comunitaria Cozumel, API, CONANP, and, of course, CORAL. It has also raised the profile of these groups and the important work that they are doing.

The display was officially inaugurated on June 30th, 2010, with speeches by CORAL's Mesoamerican Regional Manager, Kenneth Johnson, and the president of Grupo Intersectorial, Javier Pizaña. A representative of Cozumel's mayor attended the event, marking both the significance of the display and the local government's interest in promoting coral reef conservation.

Sea star photo at the Puerta Maya Cruise Terminal

 

Photos by Hugo Padilla