Puerto Morelos, Q.R. — The mayor of Puerto Morelos says they are ready for sea turtle nesting season this year and will focus on increasing citizen participation.
Puerto Morelos mayor, Laura Fernández says they are ready for their Marine Turtle Conservation and Management Program that will run until the end of November. She reports that this year, the emphasis will be to increase citizen participation.
In Puerto Morelos, there are three main geographical areas where the turtles arrive to nest. Punta Brava, Punta Caracol and Petempich, and of these, Punta Brava has the higher number of turtle arrivals looking for a sandy place to lay eggs.
Fernández says “In Puerto Morelos, society and government are responsible for biodiversity, therefore, this municipal administration will continue to have priority programs related to the care of natural resources, the environment in general and especially the conservation of species.”
One of the goals of this year, she added, is to increase citizen participation with the invitation extended to students, environmental associations, private initiatives, hotel workers and users of the federal maritime land zone.
She says last year, Puerto Morelos received the government award for Responsible Biodiversity which was specifically for this turtle protection program. The mayor highlighted the fundamental support of Semarnat, Profepa and the Secretariat of Ecology and Environment of the state government for their contributions and supervision of the nesting areas.
Guadalupe Alcántara, municipal director of Ecology, said that this year, training will be strengthened for users of the federal maritime land areas as well as hotel staff, restaurants and various businesses.
Last month, the first sea turtle of the season was recorded on the island of Cozumel nearly three weeks earlier than usual.
