Riviera Maya, Q.R. — The state continues its efforts to develop guidelines in the coastal zoning plan of Quintana Roo. The guidelines are meant to deal with the state’s continued problem with mass beach erosion.
The head of the Secretariat of Ecology and Environment (SEMA), Oscar Rébora Aguilera, reported that the state government is working on the development of guidelines that could become the first coastal zoning plan in the country.
The goal, he says is to speed up beach restoration and recovery projects in Quintana Roo.
He explained that the guidelines will allow the definition of specific zones according to the natural characteristics of each coastline, such as geomorphology, type of sand and erosion conditions, thus facilitating the environmental processes necessary to develop coastal recovery projects.
“We are working on guidelines that could lead to the first coastal management plan in the country. It is similar to POEL (Local Economic Development Plan), where we can define certain areas based on their geomorphology, the type of sediment, and the conditions of the beaches in the state,” he said.
Rébora Aguilera indicated that this model would allow for more agile Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) since it would have prior studies that would simplify the technical and administrative processes.
“Environmental impact assessments would be much simpler because this planning process would already have many of the necessary advancements. We would save a lot of time on that,” he explained.
The head of SEMA stressed that the erosion problem is not limited to Cancun or Riviera Maya, but affects different areas of the Quintana Roo coast where some beaches lose sand more quickly than others.
“It’s not just Cancun. We have an erosion problem throughout the entire state. There are places where we are losing much more beach than in others and we need to find a comprehensive solution,” he stated.
He also stated that the goal is to move beyond temporary solutions such as simply filling with sand and instead focus on long-term ecological restoration strategies.
“You can’t just grab the sand, dredge it, and repave the beaches. It’s a quick fix, but what we’re looking for today is to rebuild the coastal dunes, the seagrass beds, and even have a regenerative vision for the corals themselves,” he pointed out.
Rébora Aguilera added that the project has required more than a year and a half of technical work together with academics, scientists and specialists, in order to build a solid model that allows for a sustainable approach to coastal erosion in Quintana Roo.
“It involves a lot of technical work and also getting many specialists to agree in order to make joint decisions, but these guidelines will give us a roadmap for how the beaches should be restored,” he concluded.
