Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Federal and state government officials have announced an enhanced strategy to Quintana Roo’s 2026 sargassum season. Part of the enhanced strategy includes stopping sargassum from reaching the beaches.
The Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources has announced a larger capacity sargassum collection vessel for the state. Authorities said during their Friday meeting the goal is to stop sargassum before it reaches the beaches.
The new sargassum vessel will be double the size of current vessels, allowing for twice as much at-sea collection capacity. The increased attention to the sargassum issue also includes satellite monitoring, on-the-ground action, and the transformation of sargassum into a productive input.
Mexico’s Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (Senarnat), Alicia Bárcena, made the announcement Friday with state governor, Mara Lezama. The news was made public after a meeting to strengthen government coordination in addressing the state’s environmental agenda.
During the meeting, both sides agreed to consolidate a comprehensive strategy that links territorial planning, ecosystem conservation and sustainable development, with an emphasis on addressing the sargassum phenomenon, one of the main environmental challenges of the Mexican Caribbean.
Secretary Bárcena and Governor Lezama announced that the Mexican Navy, headed by Admiral Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles, is in the process of acquiring a new sargassum-collecting vessel to strengthen sargassum containment efforts at sea.
Governor Lezama stated that the addition of this new vessel will double the capacity for collecting sargassum at sea, which currently reaches 624 tons per day, with the goal of preventing it from reaching the coasts.
She acknowledged the support of the Mexican government, led by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, in addressing the problem.
Secretary Bárcena emphasized that this phenomenon, intensified by climate change, has a global dimension, stretching from the the coast of Africa to the Atlantic.
In coordination with the Government of Quintana Roo, the operational deployment in coastal areas for beach cleaning has been increased, contributing to the protection of ecosystems and the sustainability of tourism activity.
As part of her agenda, Secretary Bárcena visited the Sargassum and Environmental Monitoring Center (CEMAS) where satellite images are processed to anticipate the arrival of seaweed and strengthen operational decision-making.
The centre’s director, Esteban Amaro Mauricio, and Rear Admiral Topiltzin Flores Jaramillo of the Mexican Navy (Semar), coordinator of the sargassum containment strategy in the Mexican Caribbean, explained that this information is shared in a coordinated manner with the Navy and other institutions allowing for a more effective and timely response to its arrival.
Rear Admiral Jaramillo highlighted the priority of the installation of a Circular Economy Park in Puerto Morelos. This centre will transform sargassum seaweed into usable inputs such as industrial pellets.
This project seeks to turn an environmental challenge into a productive opportunity, generating economic value and reducing impacts on communities and ecosystems.
With these actions, Semarnat and the Government of Quintana Roo reaffirm their commitment to protect the natural heritage of the Mexican Caribbean and guarantee the well-being of the communities in a coordinated manner, based on science and a long-term vision.
Secretary Bárcena emphasized that the transition to a circular economy is one of the country’s greatest environmental challenges, noting that Mexico generates approximately 140,000 tons of municipal solid waste daily, of which more than 76% is potentially recyclable.
She stated that 108,000 tons are collected, but the remaining 32,000 tons, or about 23%, end up in rivers, ravines, oceans, and the sea.
She pointed out that significant gaps in infrastructure and coverage persist, as 150 municipalities still lack collection services and most of the 2,250 final disposal sites do not meet environmental standards.
“Garbage doesn’t disappear, it just changes location. We must transform the way we produce, consume, and dispose of waste. The circular economy is not an option; it is a necessity to reduce pressure on our ecosystems and generate well-being in communities,” she said.
Secretary Bárcena highlighted Mexico’s progress in developing comprehensive solutions such as Circular Economy Hubs, which will transform waste into productive inputs, as well as strengthening state capacities for designing regulatory instruments and developing environmental infrastructure.
“We must move toward a circular model, a model where all waste is reused. President Claudia Sheinbaum has invited us to build a Zero Waste Republic, and this implies consolidating a complex network of public and private actors who must, without a doubt, coordinate to advance toward a circular economy,” she noted.
During the meeting, technical talks were held for the standardization of regulatory frameworks as well as the presentation of progress, challenges and best practices in different states with the participation of state authorities, specialists and international organizations in order to accelerate the transition toward sustainable production and consumption models.
