Cozumel, Q.R. — The municipal Deputy Director of Ecology says the island has already recorded 30 sea turtle nests. For this reason, monitoring has been increased to preserve the 30 found loggerhead and green sea turtles nests.
Judith Argüelles Caamal of Cozumel Ecology emphasized that at the request of the mayor, every effort is being made to ensure the 2025 nesting season is a success. To that end, the Municipal Sea Turtle Protection Committee was established on April 29th.
It includes the participation of the “Ixpalbarco” Turtle Camp of the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), the State Government through the Cozumel Parks and Museums Foundation (FPMC) with the Punta Sur Camp and the municipality’s own San Martín Turtle Camp.
“It’s essential that the people of Cozumel have contact with sea turtles at least once in their lives so they understand the work we do and help us conserve this species,” said Argüelles Caamal.
“Therefore, educational and awareness-raising activities will be held, inviting sports clubs and students to participate in nest marking in the morning from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. During the afternoon shift, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m., various agencies from all three levels of government will work together, while at night, specialized brigades will carry out turtle detection efforts,” she said.
Since the beginning of May, brigades have marked a total of 30 nests at the San Martín Turtle Camp which covers more than 20 kilometers of the island’s eastern coast. Of these, 29 belong to the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and one to the green turtle (Chelonia mydas). The latter began arriving just this week.
Caamal is calling on citizens to take the necessary precautions when visiting the beaches on the eastern side of the island: avoid touching nest markers, avoid taking pets off leashes, keep the area clean and report any sightings of nesting turtles to the authorities.
