Riviera Maya, Q.R. — The Government of Mexico has officially declared 17 beaches sanctuaries for sea turtle nesting. The federal decision was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) earlier this week.
According to the decree, these beach areas will be classified as sanctuaries in the newly defined Protected Natural Areas for the nesting and reproduction of sea turtles.
In a statement, the agency added that for this, it made the necessary adjustments to the polygons that will make up these new Protected Natural Areas that will include nesting surfaces that lacked protection as well as good condition areas for the development and conservation of the turtles.
According to information provided by the federal agency, the sanctuaries are located in the states of Chiapas, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán de Ocampo, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Yucatán with a total of 6,637 hectares.
The modification process includes adjusting the names of some sanctuaries according to the denomination recognized by the local communities and the technical analysis carried out by the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp).
They are Playa Rancho Nuevo, Playa Ría Lagartos, Playa Mismaloya, Playa Colola, Playa Maruata, Playa Tierra Colorada, Playa Chacahua, Playa Escobilla, Playa Puerto Arista, and, in the case of Playa el Verde Camacho, the name has been changed to Playa Huizache.
