Riviera Maya, Q.R. — The Ministry of Ecology and Environment is finalizing technical details on the state’s beach restoration project. The project includes 31 kilometers of coastal sand areas as well as rehabilitating dunes and the strengthening of coral reef.
Oscar Rebora Aguilera, the Quintana Roo Secretary of Ecology and Environment, says they are working on the final technical details of the Environmental Impact Statement (MIA) to carry out the restoration of Quintana Roo beaches.
According to Rebora Aguilera, the project includes interventions in four municipalities they have found seriously affected by coastal erosion. Those municipalities include Benito Juarez (Cancun), Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen and Isla Cozumel.
He explained that the complementary studies are expected to be completed this month and that the goal is to have the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) approve the MIA before the start of the summer vacation season.
The plan includes rehabilitating 12 kilometers of beach in Cancun, 12 kilometers in Playa del Carmen, between two and three kilometers of beach on Cozumel and six kilometers in Puerto Morelos.
Rébora Aguilera says two recovery scenarios are being evaluated. The first involves locating sandbanks to reconstruct the coastline along the stretches defined in the MIA. The second, which is being studied in conjunction with experts from the Cuban government, involves rebuilding dunes, many of which were altered by hotel and condominium developments that built on them.
Óscar Rébora Aguilera explained that sustainable solutions such as dune reconstruction are being considered. “We can’t just continue filling in the beach. We must propose nature-based solutions such as rebuilding dunes and rehabilitating coral reefs. All of these are being considered,” he said.
In addition to beach restoration, he says the project also includes strengthening the coral reef in the targeted areas since the ecosystem has suffered severe damage due to rising sea temperatures, which has affected nearly 60 percent of the coral reef cover.
