Since 2011, tourism to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula has been heavily impacted by large masses of sargassum seaweed washing up on the beaches, with the largest seaweed event occurring in 2019. Seaweed deters beach tourism, potentially shifting tourism inland towards other activities such as swimming in cenotes (sinkholes). Our mixed methods study combined data from surveys of visitors to the region, interviews with tourists and tour operators, thematic analysis of newspaper articles, laws and policies and analysis of water samples from a cenote to understand the environmental impact on cenotes of this shifting tourism industry. We identified intentional efforts by the tourism industry to encourage cenote tourism in response to the seaweed problem, and our survey and interview data confirmed that tourists are choosing to visit cenotes in lieu of beaches. Water samples from one tourist cenote in 2019 indicated increased pollution relative to previous years. Current regulations and management of tourist cenotes are weak, creating the potential for significant long term harm to the environment and to the water sovereignty of surrounding communities. Regulation of cenotes should be strengthened to protect these fragile karst ecosystems and to give local and indigenous residents a formal voice in the management process.
Tourist growth in Quintana Roo, Mexico has brought with it an increase of pollution by sunscreens to aquatic ecosystems, which represents an environmental risk because of the chemical components of sunscreens that can negatively affect human health and aquatic ecosystems. However, the magnitude of pollution in aquatic environments is unknown. Consequently, we sought to estimate the contamination by sunscreens based on usage and tourism statistics. Our estimate indicates that the water in Quintana Roo will receive nearly 4367.25 tons of chemicals from sunscreens used by residents and tourists over a period of 18 years (2007 to 2025). On average, each tourist stays in Quintana Roo for 3.45 days, and 89.9% of these visitors apply sunscreen, although only the 83.7% engage in water activities. Additionally, 30.4% of residents engage in water activities for an average of 1.5 days/year. We considered direct sunscreen contaminant contamination, which occurs from the application of sunscreen and subsequent water activities, as well as indirect contamination, which occurs when people wash their skin with drinking water that then enters the drainage system. Our analysis indicated that the greatest contribution of sunscreen to the karst aquifer of Quintana Roo, is direct. Chemicals dissolved in water are a danger to aquatic life and human health.
El objetivo de esta investigación es conocer el grado de conocimiento de la población que vive y/o trabaja en la zona de influencia del Estero San José del Cabo sobre la conservación del área, así como su opinión y percepción sobre el desempeño y trabajo del gobierno sobre acciones para la conservación. Durante 2014 aplicó una encuesta cualitativa y cuantitativa. Los resultados muestran que 93% conoce lo que es un ANP, 77% percibe beneficios al vivir/trabajar cerca de un ANP, solo 38% conoce la existencia del programa de manejo, 36% percibe que sus actividades económicas y sociales fueron afectadas tras la creación del ANP, 23% percibe mejora en oportunidades de empleo; 74% opina que la vigilancia de los administradores es nula, 65% de ellos perciben que no se invierten recursos financieros, humanos e infraestructura para el manejo de la reserva. Finalmente 52% opinan que la aplicación de instrumentos normativos y sanciones administrativas es nula.
The Mexican Caribbean is part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, considered the second largest reef system globally. This system, as well as inland aquatic ecosystems, are at risk of contamination due to the intensive use of sunscreen by the tourists who visit the Riviera Maya each year. At present, the regulation and management of sunscreens are inconsistent, with most policies and legislation focused on the protected marine areas with little current focus on inland aquatic ecosystems. An estimated 229.76 tons of sunscreen are used annually, with residues putting the health of the marine and freshwater aquatic ecosystems and residents at risk. Groundwater is used recreationally (e.g., tourists swimming in sinkholes or cenotes) and as household drinking water. To understand the environmental impacts of sunscreen use and the management implications, a mixed-methods study was carried out, combining survey and interview data on how tourists use sunscreen and their perceptions of discharge of sunscreens into the water, with analysis of regional, national and international policies and legislation. Our findings of touristic behaviors, gaps in current legislation, and the pollution implications of different sunscreen types provide useful information for future decision-making and the creation of stronger environmental regulations.
Sunscreens have spread widely into aquatic systems over the last 18 years in Quintana Roo, Mexico. This contamination is caused by intensive use as a result of leisure activities, as sunbathers apply the substances intensively (up to 83.75% of tourists and locals). Moreover, 25% of the compounds are mainly released into the water through topical products washing off. On average, 300,000 tourists arrive every week in Quintana Roo, increasing the contamination. In addition, there are no recent studies on sunscreen toxicity and the hazards this represents for the native zooplankton of Quintana Roo. In order to assess their adverse effects, acute toxicity was assessed for nine sunscreens (five non-biodegradable and four biodegradable) in four zooplankton species (Brachionus cf ibericus, Cypridopsis vidua, Diaphanocypris meridana, and Macrothrix triserialis). In total, 21 LC50 values were obtained, which are the baseline values for estimating risk and for determining the expected maximum permissible concentration. Our data on toxicity to freshwater species compared to marine species indicate that freshwater species are more sensitive than marine species. In conclusion, biodegradable sunscreen posed a moderate risk, and non-biodegradable posed a high risk. Our outcomes suggested that the maximum permissible concentrations for the contamination of sunscreens were 8.00E-05 g/L for non-biodegradable and 1.60E-04 g/L for biodegradable sunscreens.
La migración de jubilados extranjeros en México ha aumentado, especialmente en Los Cabos, donde los asentamientos tipo tráiler se incrementan y se desplazan a zonas rurales costeras de alto valor ecológico, con el desconocimiento de las implicaciones ambientales.El objetivo de este trabajo es contribuir al conocimiento de este tipo de asentamientos, documentando mediante un caso de estudio las características de su comunidad así como sus implicaciones ambientales y de dotación de servicios públicos. Concluimos que la localidad se convertirá en un sitio de retiro en corto plazo, pues si bien no presenta altas densidades, sus implicaciones ambientales son significativas y de una cobertura amplia. Su demanda actual de servicios es mínima, pero puede producir conflictos a futuro, especialmente con el agua
La falta de acceso a fuentes de agua segura es un problema en el Caribe Mexicano, particularmente en comunidades con irregularidad en servicios. Ante esto, la captación de agua de lluvia (CALL) podría representar una alternativa para satisfacer necesidades básicas. Sin embargo, los esquemas de implementación a menudo son verticales y jerárquicos. En este trabajo se aportó conocimiento sobre las percepciones y formas de uso del agua de lluvia, para contribuir a la toma decisiones. La información se obtuvo mediante observaciones etnográficas y encuestas a 60 representantes de hogar de una muestra de 253 viviendas en la comunidad de Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo. El 95 % de los encuestados fueron foráneos, por lo que sus percepciones y formas de manejo del recurso fueron heterogéneas: desde sistemas simples (cubetas y tambos) hasta sistemas complejos integrados a las viviendas. En general, la CALL cuenta con una percepción positiva por parte de la población estudiada, lo cual permitiría su implementación en proyectos más estructurados que promuevan el mejoramiento de las técnicas de captación en la localidad.
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