Save Eco Destinations

Andrew Baker holds coral he wants to coax into teaming up with more heat-resistant algae

Remember all those awful news about coral reefs being on their way out? Here’s another thought: heat-tolerant algae might save them by helping coral adapt to climate change.

As we know, coral reefs are very fragile creatures. Tourism, sunscreen, and myriad other factors contribute to the reefs’ bleaching and death all over the globe. Global warming is largely thought to be, basically, a death sentence for coral everywhere.

But wait! Andrew Baker, a scientist at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, disagrees. He says that (1) corals can inherently adapt to rising temperatures and (2) we can help! (Let me explain the exclamation mark – I am excited about this!)

This year Baker set up a project to research the relationship between reef-building coral polyps (a relative of jellyfish) and their symbiotic algae, zooxanthellae. The algae seek shelter in the reefs, and in return, the algae feed the corals sugar, which corals turn into energy. The problem with higher temperatures is that they can destroy this give-and-take relationship between the algae and the corals: they make algae leave the corals, depriving the reefs of the sugar they need to remain healthy. Without this source of energy, the corals become very weak, and often die.

What Baker wants to do to prevent these coral deaths is inoculate corals, or make them immune, with the help of a different kind of algae that can resist heat better. Once these algae are administered, so to speak, to the corals, the reefs adapt and can live in higher-temperature waters.

Apparently, some corals have always attracted algae more tolerant to heat than the typical zooxanthellae and therefore became more heat-resistant themselves and resisted bleaching, e.g. in the Persian Gulf. Sometimes corals switch from zooxanthellae to heat-resistant algae during hotter seasons. That’s pretty neat.

The downside – humans have been tinkering with nature for, hmm, ever. And most usually the results are catastrophic. Some people think Baker’s idea, thus, shouldn’t be taken seriously out of fear that it may harm corals instead of help them.

But Baker says, screw it, it’s worth a try. I think I agree. After all, the plan is to introduce corals to a more heat-resistant type of algae, not to inoculate them with pharmaceutical drugs (a plan that, unfortunately, wouldn’t surprise me).

Read the whole, detailed article at the Christian Science Monitor.

Restricted Area: Marine Turtles' Nesting Ground

As you might have expected, not much has changed since I last posted about the ecocide alert by the Grupo Posadas at Xcacel-Xcacelito. Essentially, the turtles are going down.

The Grupo Posadas claims to have acquired the necessary permits to build in the area, and also claims that the development will not go on in it but subjacent to it, and that consequently the development will not harm the Xcacel-Xcacelito ecosystem. Yeah–tell that to the turtles.

Anyway, the Mexican environmental and urban development authorities, in turn, claim the Grupo Posadas is pulling this information out of their ass. They said that they have not been involved in the procuring of any permits for these corporate hypocrites, and that no building permits are in the works for the area either. Further, they said that any legal complaint must go to Tulum, as the area is out of their jurisdiction. Huh?

And so, the Grupo Posadas goes on destroying the endangered turtles’ nesting ground and national reserve area and is getting away with it scot-free. Environmentalists can do nothing but roll around in their own frustration, as nobody else seems to care, or at least not enough to do something tangibly useful. The Mexican government, meanwhile, washes its filthy hands in the blood of endangered species plus air, water, and noise pollution.

Maybe they’ll care many years from now, once the country’s popular tourist spots turn murky and putrid, resorts shut down, and locals become the regular victims of cancer and other deadly ailments brought about by humans’ greed and stupidity. Maybe they’ll care–once it’s too late.

Learning economics by diving

My Google Alerts caught something that made me smile: the story of DePauw economics professor Gary Lemon, who takes his winter term students on diving trips to Cozumel, Tulum, and Chichen Itza every year.

The article mentions that trips to such destinations comprise economics lessons in and of themselves for the students (I don’t buy it). But, whatever the reason, it’s nice to read that his most frequently uttered words during those trips are always the caveat, “If I see you grabbing on to the coral, you better have one heck of a reason.”

Professor Lemon goes out of his way-as he should-to instruct his students on how to be ecologically responsible and make their activities eco-friendly. (No information is given as to where they stay, whether they wear biodegradable sunscreen to keep corals safe, or whether they offset the carbon footprint from their flights and so on in any way, however. And I am curious.)

If these ridiculously lucky students don’t fly home to DePauw in Indiana with an acute understanding of the region’s economic underpinnings, they do return with a (likely newfound) appreciation for the beauty and frailty of the underwater world. After their experiences going scuba diving, some students have even switched academic specialties, e.g. from physics to marine biology, and as a second semester junior! That’s gotta be considerable work. But hey, the harder the work, the more we know these future marine biologists are working for the good guys and gals. Good job, Prof. Lemon!

Whale watching in Sydney

Whenever I think of whale watching, I think of Margaret Cho: “Lesbians love whale watching!”  But hey, that doesn’t mean non-lesbians can’t enjoy the splendor of said activity! I’ve never done it (or maybe when I was a kid, but I was too young to be profoundly impacted by it) but it sounds grand.

On a more serious note, as you probably already know, whales are having a hard time these days. I wish humans weren’t so cruel about whales, throwing harpoons at them, selling their meat in the black market, and so on. I guess a lot of us do (that’s why you’re reading this!). You can do something to help stop whaling here as well as make a donation here .

Here are 3 responsible whale watching resources:

Anyway, you can do some gay-and-whale-friendly whale watching at Puerto Vallarta (maybe you’ll find Margaret Cho there!) . Whale watching season in the area started in December and runs through March 23 (hurry!). What you want to do is book a tour-here are some recommended (although not by us) whale watching tour companies. These companies abide by the Mexican government’s official whale watching regulations.

Another good spot for responsible whale watching is Sydney (hey, why not?)

Finally, in Hawaii you’ll find the Pacific Whale Foundation dedicated to the protection of whales, dolphins, coral reefs, and general ocean health. They provide eco tours, education, and research opportunities.

You can become a member to aid in their efforts, even adopt a whale or dolphin! I remember when I was a kid, for Christmas I’d give people adoption certificates for endangered animals and a stuffed wolf or whatever animal it was they had adopted. I guess they were expecting something more material, but I didn’t care-I was happy to be helping! Why do you need another iPod or new pair of shoes when you’ve got several already, and you could donate a little money for a good cause? We’re drowning in consumerism, anyway. When you want to gift, think of these laudable causes!!

There are certainly eco ways to whale watch if that’s what you’re into. The three resources above are just the beginning!

If you have any recommendations or words of wisdom, please share them!

Xcacel-Xcacelito

Ludivina Menchaca Castellano, senator of Quintana Roo, deserves a gigantic thumbs up.

She is asking the authorities to stand up for Xcacel-Xcacelito. Menchaca Castellano might be one of the too few to be disheartened about the incompetence and selfishness of state and federal authorities for not doing their job of looking after Mexico’s protected ecosystems-in this case, the turtle reserve at Xcacel-Xcacelito.

She pointed out that the General Wildlife Law, while prohibiting any construction in mangrove zones, doesn’t, well, exactly work. Essentially, it is not so much prohibitive as it is restrictive. It doesn’t stop touristic developments from being built in the country.

An augercast pile grid

Investors must understand, then, that ways have changed, she said: “we currently count on new technologies that allow for construction that abides by the new ecological parameters, in other words, the mangrove can be protected through new building methods-in which you use piles-so as not to touch the mangrove and permit the hydrological flow to take its course.”

It seems that thanks to Menchaca Castellano, investors taking part in the local ecocide must restructure and adapt their plans in order to minimally affect the mangrove. In most of Mexico’s tourist spots, thus far, the concept of ecology has been in absentia.

Menchaca Castellano is encouraging authorities throughout Mexico to keep their eyes on the aforementioned turtle haters of Xcacel-Xcacelito-I mean, the investors-so they don’t get away with anything illegal, causing a catastrophe for the loggerheads and other turtles that depend on the neighboring coast to nest every year.

The senator stressed that the relevant authorities must do their job, and particularly in Quintana Roo, where the ecosystem has been most attacked. Protecting the Xcacel-Xcacelito reserve will be one of the Environmental Commission’s priorities, she said.

Finally!

Now, they will probably be using augercast or CFA piles, which cause the least environmental disturbance, even in terms of noise pollution. (See a diagram.) But, you know, the pumping of concrete mix down the auger and into the ground, is going to be felt no matter what. And the yelling of the construction workers. And the noise made by the cement mixers, the trucks, and so on.

The lesser of two evils is still evil. Shouldn’t we just leave the remaining reserves and preserved ecosystems alone to thrive? Do we even need more hotels?

Scratch that-stupid question-of course we do! It’s only right that the developers’ and investors’ pockets keep getting fatter and the environment be continually desecrated.  Silly me.

Xcacel-Xcacelito. Photo by Titti Alvarado

It all started over a decade ago, with Sol Melía’s unsuccessful attempts at destroying the Xcacel-Xcacelito ecosystem (Quintana Roo, Mexico) for the sake of his hotel chain. Environmental activists have been able to steer Melía off course, but the time might have come for his success in 2009.

The selfish, über-capitalist, global-warming-loving Melía has apparently acquired the necessary permits to build right by a reserve, Xcacel-Xcacelito, which would essentially eradicate it.

This fragile ecosystem is where different species of near-endangered turtles, such as loggerheads and green turtles, go to nest every year. Biologists try to protect their eggs from predators at night during this time of year (May-October).

It seems that Melía’s multinational corporation’s been lobbying, all the while receiving the unconditional blessings of the Spanish government through its embassy in Mexico, if not directly through their Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, another awesome man of the people out to make the world a better place.

Zapatero visited Mexico last year to show his support for the recently “elected” President Felipe Calderón, and to reciprocate the visit he had previously made to Spain. During these meetings, the guilty parties partied with the main Spanish multinational corporations, who just happened to be investing in Mexico. (What a series of coincidences!)

They are all also linked via the Universidad de Quintana Roo (UQROO), Governor Félix González Canto,  and the powerful Quintana Roo Xcaret Group of investors.

I guess the Spanish government and Melía belong to the Global Warming is a Myth! group. Probably to the We’re Corporatists, We’re Rich So We Don’t Care About the Rest of the World group, too. Or maybe they’re just mindless jerks (I’m watching my language, here).

If only more people knew about these developments! If only the mainstream media worked to enlighten instead of to please the corporations that feed it. Part of the work we can do to solve the issues of corporations trying to literally make a killing, is support independent media, help it grow by spreading the word about it to help disseminate the issues we care about that FOX and other poisonous networks wants to cover up.

Read more here, here, and here (in Spanish).

Don’t forget to add us on TWITTER.

A loggerhead turtle (photo by Wikimedia)

Green turtles and loggerheads residing in the “marine turtles sanctuary” on the Riviera Maya’s Virgin Beaches are about to lose their home.

The Punta Carey complex and the Grupo Posadas, according to unofficial sources, have been destroying this protected habitat and effectively committing ecocide. What for? Why, so Grupo Posadas can build a tourist complex and make investors happy, of course!

Although the Grupo Posadas is currently wreaking eco havoc in an area adjacent to Xcacel-Xcacelito, ecologists say the turtles’ habitat and breeding will be affected and that the ecosystem will soon be lost.

But, you know, since the tourist complex will be sustainable, I guess all is A-ok! It’s odd, though, that those in charge of the construction are MIA. Meanwhile, the city, its people, and authorities are keeping their eyes and ears on the elections in Tulum. Manuel Barrero Gutiérrez, director of Tulum’s Urban Development, claims to have been ignorant about the Grupo Posadas project. On Wednesday, his personnel will be visiting the site to conduct the corresponding inspections, which require certain looking after the environment. If the project doesn’t meet the proper standards, it will be shut down.

The area comprises 90 acres of jungle, mangrove, coastal dune, beaches, cenotes, and coralline reefs. It’s the most important beach in Mexico for these turtles to nest; biologists venture out at night to help protect the eggs and young. The turtles come to Xcacel-Xcacelito in May through October.

The project was announced in 2006 and requires $ 26.7 million to develop. It will consist of 250 rooms throughout 370 acres. A development of similar magnitude and cause of ecocide is the Ho­tel Pa­raí­so Xca­cel del Gru­po Gon­zá­lez An­gu­lo.

Green female turtle nesting on the beach

I find this issue fascinating, so I wanted to delve into it deeper. Here we go –

Corals:

Scientific studies ascertained a relationship between the approximately 4,000 to 6,000 tons of sunscreen melting off swimmers’ skins and the quickly increasing decline in corals. It turns out that four common sunscreen ingredients (octinoxate, oxybenzone 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, and the preservative butylparaben) activate dormant viruses in corals, which go on to destroy algae—what corals feed on, and without which corals turn white and die.

About 60% of reefs around the world are currently in danger of dying due to global warming, excess UV radiation, and human activity—whether because anchors and boats tear through them, we pollute them with our garbage, or we drown them in our skincare products.

According to the European Commission, the chemicals in sunscreen and other skincare products are so harmful that areas such as marine eco-parks in Mexico straight-out ban them. These chemicals “can accumulate in aquatic animals, have an estrogen-like effect and biodegrade into toxic by-products.”

When they added low quantities of sunscreen to water around coral reefs, they found that “large amounts of coral mucous … was (sic) released within 18-48 hours. Within 96 hours, complete bleaching of corals had occurred.” Previously dormant viruses residing within the corals came alive and triggered widespread infections, effects also caused by pesticides and other pollutants.It only takes 20 minutes in the water for 25% of the harmful ingredients in your sunscreen to be released into the water.

Fish:

All the way back in 2006, the University of Applied Sciences in Basil, Switzerland, found endocrine disruptors (UV filters) in fish—male fish with not only sperm, but also female eggs. Read more here.

Humans:

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) conducted research on 1,031 common brands of sunscreen last year. They found that:

• 4 out of 5 do not offer adequate protection from the sun’s harmful rays
• many include ingredients that may be unsafe
• best-selling sunscreens (e.g. Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena) proved to be the worst offenders. Here is the best and worst list: Find your sunscreen.
• many sunscreens only protect against UVB radiations (which cause sunburns), and not UVA radiations (which cause skin damage, aging, immune system problems, and skin cancer)
• 46% of sunscreens contain ingredients that break down under UV rays within minutes or hours, letting UV rays damage your skin
• sunscreens in the form of powder and spray make it easier for toxic nano-scale ingredients to get into your body than lotion sunscreens containing the same ingredients
• some sunscreens—and their toxic ingredients (namely, oxybenzone and other UV filters)—enter the bloodstream. These ingredients may exude free radicals in the sunlight, disrupt the endocrine system, cause allergies, and build up in the body
• the FDA is not currently taking care of these issues, so you must do so for yourself

Read more here.

SOLUTION: wear biodegradable sunscreens without questionable ingredients, apply it  repeatedly to the skin, wear a hat, and wear UV-resistant clothing (e.g. Solartex and No Zone) .

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.