Bay protection progress in Akumal, Mexico

The bay management plan, initiated by Centro Ecológico Akumal (CEA), continues with the arrival of additional buoys to mark areas for swimmers, boats, and other activities. Increasing use of the bay, especially by tour operators and boatloads of guests from nearby resorts, threatens people, boats, turtles, coral and the entire ecosystem. Fortunately, several of the properties on the bay—Akumal Beach Resort, Hotel Club Akumal Caribe, Las Casitas, Akumal Dive Shop, Akumal Dive Center, and CEA, as well as local fishing tour operators and the Mexican environmental secretary (SEMARNAT), have reached consensus on the need for a management plan.

In the photo above, CEA Reef Program Director Joel Ortega (facing the camera) and Damon Henry, a CEA volunteer, attach a buoy to a 400-pound concrete mooring to anchor another buoy to mark off areas in the bay.

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