Everything we learned—about turtles and tourists alike—helps us to refine the use of the bays’ resources in order to maximize protection of Akumal’s awe-inspiring sea turtles and struggling reefs. To that end, we formed alliances with many stakeholders who make a living on our local natural wealth so that we can continue to improve tourism practices, making Akumal a model of sustainable tourism.

We once again successfully protected the nesting sea turtles along Akumal’s beaches this year, with the help of local hotels and condos, a committed group of volunteers, and support from so many people like you. Our turtle numbers continue to be stable despite increasing threats, thanks to the commitment shown by residents, visitors, and CEA supporters in helping us remain "the place of the turtle"—Akumal—in Maya.

Our Water Quality Program not only educated local hotel managers about the importance of good wastewater management but also created and successfully presented a wastewater treatment strategy to municipal water authorities. We forged alliances with the private sector, other environmental organizations, and government agencies at all levels—local, state, and federal—in order to improve water quality monitoring, determine needs for a treatment plant in Akumal, and create a municipal-wide strategy for protecting our threatened aquifer.

To share this good news with you, and to communicate better in general, we have renovated our Web site and blogs. And, of course, we continue our environmental education in the local schools, so that future decision-makers value, protect, and enjoy healthy ecosystems.

In spite of these strides, we still face many challenges in preserving the clear blue waters of Akumal, the sea turtles, the reef biodiversity, and the vibrant jungle. However, with our incredible volunteers, staff, local hotels, dive shops, tour operators, and more informed visitors, we will be able to strike a balance in conservation and use. This is why we are so excited about the coming year. Just to give one example, our studies have been crucial, revealing that the key right now to saving the coral reef and all the life it supports is stopping the flow of sewage from inland sources.

This is a big task with tremendous implications, and CEA needs your help to meet it. As we continue to focus on restoring the much-damaged marine and coastal ecosystems, we look forward to making Akumal the standard in sustainable practices. Please join us in 2010 as we revolutionize the model of tourism growth and restore the corazon—the heart—not only of Akumal but also of ourselves. If you are already a CEA Member, please renew your annual membership; if not, please join. You can support us online at www.ceakumal.org or come into CEA when you are in Akumal.

I was very lucky to meet Jane Goodall this year at the 9th World Wilderness Congress and I want to share with you one thing she said: "Animals know the world is changing but they don’t know why, humans know why but are doing very little about it." With your help, we can do something about restoring Akumal.

Thank you and may your holiday season be filled with excitement for the future.

Paul Sánchez-Navarro
Director
Centro Ecológico Akumal

		The Nature Conservancy (TNC) had the initiative to create, with Centro Ecológico Akumal (CEA) and other organizations working to protect the biodiversity of the Mexican Caribbean, a process to plan a Conservation Strategy from Akumal to Tulúm. With this process, four workshops and different technical groups have been made to organize and add information. It has given us the opportunity to add professional knowledge and to evaluate the health of the ecosystems and other environmental issues.
This process has helped give us some ideas on how to face the environmental threats to Tulúm. Between the principal threats that Tulúm are facing are: wastewater treatments; unchecked development; the creation of channels and superficial rivers for tourists, which open the aquifer; and others. This initiative has defined some strategies and actions that will help keep the functionality of ecosystems, will prevent and reduce Tulúm's threats, and allow us to strengthen relations among different organizations to protect our ecosystems.

Nests: Loggerhead: 106 Green: 106   Hatchlings: Loggerhead: 9394 Green: 10,909

This year, the turtle nesting season ended early. We want to thank all whose support has helped us to be so successful: property owners, condominiums, hotels, locals, tourist, and volunteers. Thank you!

To end the season, and another year, we want to share an experience with you: a regular summer visitor to Akumal, staying at Las Villas Akumal wrote this for us: "The Other Side," dedicated to the Marcos Family. Thank you, Mr. Raúl Santoyo.

For further information please contact:
Armando Lorences Camargo, Sea Turtle Program Coordinator, tortugas@ceakumal.org

In the past few days, the National Commission of Natural Protection Areas (CONANP) gave CEA 20 nets for capturing Lionfish (pterois volitans) and asked CEA to coordinate efforts with the different dive shops that are volunteering to help capture them. CEA is also in charge of distributing informational brochures about this threatening species. Each individual volunteer must be registered with CONANP to participate in the collecting project.

Although the Lionfish is an invasive species, it’s still a natural wild species and people need permission to capture it, which is why CEA sent a list of local volunteers to CONANP.

It may be practically impossible to eradicate this species from the area. The main goal is to stop its population growth. Humans introduced the Lionfish to the Atlantic, and it has no natural predators here. Therefore, humans can act as predators and help to control its spread.

Lion Fish Database here.

For further information please contact:
Biol. David Placencia, Reef Monitoring Coordinator, arrecife@ceakumal.org

To celebrate World Conservation Day, Centro Ecológico Akumal along with students from the Telesecundaria José Vasconcelos, painted two murals at Akumal Pueblo, to raise awareness among local people. While environmental education is important in the local schools, CEA also recognizes the importance of working with tourists as well. We all have to learn to enjoy this beautiful place, while still taking care of it.

• Use biodegradable sun blocks.
• Don’t leave trash on the beach or in the jungle.
• While swimming in the ocean, please be careful not to touch the reefs or other sea life. In cenotes don’t touch the stalactites or stalagmites. Try to move as little sediment as you can.
• Don’t touch, harass, or hurt animals. Respect their habitats.

In April 2010, the International Sea Turtle Symposium will take place at Goa, India. Our Sea Turtle Program will present information on our conservation efforts to protect Akumal’s turtles. We have registered Armando, our “Turtle Man” to participate, but a trip to India costs more than our budget allows. We need you! We have to raise around 3,000 USD.
CEA’s Sea Turtle Program and Armando have worked for many years for our turtles, and we have a chance to share our experience and results internationally, as well as learn from so many other programs from around the world. Want to help? Special Donations or Events