Save Eco Destinations

Paul Sánchez-Navarro

Paul Sánchez-Navarro is executive director of the Centro Ecológico Akumal, an organization that works to supervise and diminish the pernicious impact of unsustainable hotels on the reefs off Quintana Roo. He explains that the recent exponential boosts in tourism on the Maya Riviera have augmented the following issues:

• More workers and construction to accommodate for rising demand
• A consequent fresh water shortage
• Waste (mis)management – many resorts dump their sewage deep into the ground, so that it ends up in aquifers and underground rivers and eventually makes its way to the ocean and its vulnerable ecosystem. Alarming amounts of nitrates and phosphates, particularly from urine, have been found in the area’s aquifers, Sánchez-Navarro told CNN.
• Higher levels of general pollution – leftover bottles, batteries, etc.

Monetary profit trumps environmental activism for most—mais oui!—so that finding solutions to these problems becomes a tougher endeavor for us. Many hotels oh-so-selflessly contribute money to the Mexican government, meaning hotels are not subject to stringent regulations. Global warming is a constant soldier gunning down the corals as well, although some storms are actually beneficial, allowing the corals to spread.

But never fear, we green activists are everywhere, and ever louder making our voices heard! Sánchez-Navarro, who believes unsustainable hotels are the main offenders, says that the answer lies in collaborating with “multiple levels of government, the private business sector,” and mainstream society in order to raise awareness and spark interest and involvement, to hopefully offset global warming’s effects in addition to that of unsustainable developments. Sánchez-Navarro works with environmental policy frameworks in Mexico and within the United Nations system, in addition to other endeavors.

Also getting his hands dirty is an industrial mineralogist from Ohio’s Miami University, Mark Krekeler, who is now in Akumal researching sustainable waste management with his research group. Krekeler is looking to improve the workings of constructed wastelands (of which Akumal currently has 50) to remove harmful bacteria, phosphates, and nitrates from sewage. Another option for filtering sewage is clay, fortunately ubiquitous in the Yucatán Peninsula. Both projects are ongoing.

It is certainly uplifting to learn about active efforts to restore life and dignity to the earth’s ecosystems. When we look after the environment, we look after ourselves.

Coral reef off the Egyptian coast

All over the planet—from the Caribbean to Australia’s coasts—coral reefs are withering from the stress swimmers and tourism-related chemicals impose on them. According to WarmIslands.com, during the last 10 years alone the Caribbean’s reefs have been under strenuous attack.

The culprits:

• Snorkeling and diving – swimmers astonished by the reefs’ beauty touch the fragile corals, causing serious damage. SOLUTION: stay away from those reefs! And if for whatever reason you find yourself down there, hands off, kids!
• Sunscreen – chemicals in the sunscreen dissolving off swimmers’ skins intensifies the decline of coral populations. SOLUTION: choose biodegradable sunscreen or wear a t-shirt.
• Disturbed sediment – unnaturally strong currents (caused by swimmers, yachts, motorboats, and so on) can alter sediment and provoke the diaspora of animal life as the animals lose their home. Another consequence is sand settling onto coral formations. SOLUTION: stay off those boats!
• Anchors of motorboats, yachts, etc. – these can destroy corals and thereby their entire ecosystem, which results in animals losing their homes. SOLUTION: just say no!
• The collection of specimens – despite the seemingly infinite abundance of marine life, the removal of species is not only detrimental to the ecosystem, but may also result in the accidental removal of rare and endangered species. SOLUTION: refrain from collecting any specimens and do your best to discourage others from doing so.
• Increase in sedimentation – as tourism grows, so does the construction of hotels and other developments used to accommodate travelers. With construction comes pollution in the form of noise, contaminated air and water, and copious sedimentation both natural and synthetic. Higher amounts of sedimentation close to the shore encourage ocean species to move farther offshore, where lower levels of nutrients are available for their consumption and they are more vulnerable to the pernicious attacks of motorboats, etc. SOLUTION: consider going somewhere else for the holidays, or remain strictly green and encourage others to follow your lead – which should be a perpetual tactic for us eco travelers anyway!
• Waste – more people equals more waste. While proper waste disposal methods are usually available, many tourists are ignorant of environmentally friendly ways to dispose of their waste. Another problem is the myriad tourists who just don’t care about the environment enough to change their destructive habits. Their garbage then winds up floating on the water and sticking to coral reefs. SOLUTION: speak up when you see someone littering and kindly point them in the right direction.
• Pollution – While some vacation spots aren’t located within industrialized areas, it is usually inevitable that pollutants will be released into the air, land, and water in the forms of fuel, oil, paint, sewage, and so on. SOLUTION: go green or don’t go at all!

It is imperative that we continue to raise awareness about green tourism to inspire respect for our precious planet. As we continue to devise new ways to mitigate humans’ effects on our planet, we owe it to ourselves to compassionately educate those around us.

Local activists have been fighting developers and winning in a little place called Puerto Morelos on the Riviera Maya, between over-developed Cancún and Playa del Carmen. Green activism is keeping a village of about 5,000 people set on the beach smelling like fish and seaweed (a good thing!).

The beach isn’t full of sunbathers, there is consequently less sunblock grease on the ocean surface, and it won’t remind you of the plastic scenery of Miami’s South Beach like Cancún can. It resembles “the real Mexico”—e.g. you won’t run into any Wal-Marts. This New York Times article describes peaceful Puerto Morelos as a green mom and pop village. Has anyone been there who could share some impressions?

But if the NYT begins to make a habit of calling attention to little-known eco sanctuaries such as Puerto Morelos, the effect may be detrimental. This article in the paper’s Travel section starts by painting readers an idyllic picture of a genuine, untainted, eco-friendly area, and before you know it, enthusiastically touts Puerto Morelos as it would any “hot spot”: by reviewing the restaurants, recommending dishes, and telling you how much you’ll save by taking advantage of the USD/MXN exchange rate in addition to the already low prices. That is, the NYT article switches to robbing it of its eco virtues and natural wonders and violently shifts perspective to reel you into the commercial possibilities, inviting you—the average, non-eco conscious, tourist—to help rape it.

It might as well read, “Come visit Puerto Morelos! Pretend that you care about the environment and come help deform this tourist spot by transforming it from an anti-corporate haven to Cancún 2.0! You’ll be the envy of all your friends at the next cocktail party.”

Of course you will find hotels and tourist shops in the area, but only a modest amount. Additional tourists means increased amounts of sewage, coral reef-damaging sunblock in the water, fishing (it’s already a fishing village), diving—all sorts of penetration and slow (or quick) destruction of nature.

Puerto Morelos might or might not speed downhill in the near future. LocoGringo.com opines that in this village, “tourism is just beginning.” At the very least, now we know we can’t count on the NYT for genuine support. Which means we must count on ourselves.

What can we do? Raise awareness through word of mouth, blogs, online communities, and by example: practice conscientious travel habits and support eco tourism.

Here is a short list of useful links – please add to the mix:

Green Travel Tips on MSNBC.com

Go Green Travel Green

Green Hotels Association

GeekAbout.com’ s 31 Tips to Save Money & Environment

IndependentTraveler.com’s tips

EcoTourDirectory

Also, see SaveEcoDestinations’s blogroll, organizations, and websites links.

While tourism shrinks and projects in Mexico become paralyzed as a result of the global economic crisis, an exclusive hotel development emerges on the Riviera Maya.

Catering to the elite, this new development is placing its bets on nature conservation, as it plants itself on stilts amid mangrove swamps and employs novel energy-saving technologies.

We are referring to the Hacienda Tres Ríos, the first of five luxury hotels to be built on a 130 hectare lot on the Riviera Maya, where an eco-tourism park used to be.