Nests:

• Loggerhead: 102
• Green: 100

Hatchlings:

• Loggerhead: 9010
• Green: 9717

CEA Director, Paul Sánchez Navarro, was invited to participate in the First Latin American Encounter of The Climate Project, a global project organized by Nobel Prize winner Al Gore, and sponsored by Banamex, Pronatura and CEMDA, in Mexico City. Three hundred people from all over Latin America were invited to attend three days of presentations, by Al Gore and Dr. Exequiel Ezcurra, Ing. Carlos Mena, and others about climate change and what we can do to address it in Latin America.

The participants are now 300 volunteers, environmentalists, business people, educators and researchers, helping to spread the word about climate change, its causes, impacts in our region and actions we may each take to help slow it down. The Mexican Caribbean will be affected a great deal by climate change, as ocean temperatures rise, coastlines erode, storms intensify and inland droughts increase. These effects will be intensified as we continue to replace jungle with concrete cities and golf courses; build hotels on the dunes; destroy mangroves for hotel development; and pollute the oceans with untreated wastewater.
The situation seems quite gloomy; however, there is plenty we can do to slow down the drastic changes expected. To begin, the planet needs to be reforested. We have destroyed so many forests and jungles around the globe. Each one of us can begin to change how we live: we can use less fossil fuels; reuse our waste water; use less freshwater; restore watersheds; eat lower on the food chain; learn more about our relationship with the planet and its resources, to name a few. We also need to completely change how we manage our soils, our forests, our coastlines, our oceans.
The challenge is great, mainly because changing behavior is not easy. We have the information and the tools to change, but do we have the will.

It is important to be informed on new water management laws and regulations for all of our properties in Akumal.

We can also add good water use practices to help guarantee water quality and quantity in the region.

Last August 18, two new Official Standards on water provisions were published in the Mexican Official Gazette:

• NOM-014-CONAGUA-2003: Requirements for wastewater treatment and discharge into aquifers.
• NOM-015-CONAGUA-2007: Artificial infiltration of water into aquifers - Features and specifications for works and water.

If you would like to know more about these two new standards, see:
http://www.economia-noms.gob.mx/

We are still seeing Lionfish at several diving sites around Akumal, therefore, we must still take measures to capture and remove them.

Centro Ecológico Akumal, in collaboration with the local diving community and CONANP, is acting as a collecting center in the area.

Catches

Sightings

Akumal Softball team "Jaguars", a local team formed to have fun and raise funds for specific needs in the community, and sponsored by Centro Ecológico Akumal, was able to go to the Jaguares Concert (a Mexican rock group). Thanks to donations from members of Locogringo, Plaza Ukana Business and other community members.
The concert was organized by Flora Fauna y Cultura and Xcaret to raise funds for a jaguar conservation project run by ONCA, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserve jaguar habitat.