Mexico is home to a variety of natural resources that, along with its rich historical and cultural offerings, has made the country one of the top ten tourist destinations on the planet. Marine recreation activities like diving, snorkeling, and wildlife viewing are extremely popular in Mexico; as a result, tourist cities and towns are expanding dramatically to provide space for hotels and other infrastructure. The impact of this development directly impacts the health of coastal ecosystems, including coral reefs, which are vital to the local economy. Creating sustainable tourism is the key to managing this growth in a way that supports both the people in the area and the coral reefs on which they depend. CORAL works in the communities of Playa del Carmen and Cozumel to make healthy marine recreation practices the norm for this growing region.
Read more about our projects in Mexico » [1]
Mexico's popularity as a tourism destination has led to explosive growth and development. If this development isn't guided by sustainable environmental practices, the unrestricted growth will damage the reefs and ruin the tourist trade. Overuse by tourists, combined with pollution and sediment run-off, smothers reefs as well. CORAL trains local leaders to address these issues in the marine recreation sector while protecting reefs and community members.
Read more about threats & progress » [2]
CORAL partners with international organizations, marine resource managers, and tourism operators to find long-term, sustainable solutions to community-led conservation initiatives.
Read more about our partners in Mexico » [3]
Playa del Carmen Conservation In Action workshop participant Sergio Rivera says that being involved with the voluntary standards project gave him opportunities to work with unexpected partners on local conservation projects, such as installing a region-wide set of moorings to protect reefs from anchor damage.
Photo credit: CORAL staff
Mexico now has more than two dozen graduates from the CORAL Reef Leadership Network Training Program [4]. CORAL Reef Leaders are now training hundreds of other marine recreation providers, who then train tourists in best environmental practices for sustainable marine tourism.
Photo credit: Rich Wilson
Links:
[1] http://www.coral.org/where_we_work/caribbean/mexico/projects
[2] http://www.coral.org/where_we_work/caribbean/mexico/progress
[3] http://www.coral.org/where_we_work/caribbean/mexico/people
[4] http://www.coral.org/what_we_do/our_approach/engage_educate/leadership_network