17 sea turtle nesting beaches declared as Sanctuaries

The nesting beaches of sea turtles are the most important sites in their life cycle, since their reproduction phase takes place there, when the females come out to deposit their eggs in nests built in the sand for their incubation.

During a period of 45 to 60 days each year, the young nest and then head to the sea and become part of the new generation of marine turtles. For this reason, it is important to preserve the conditions of the nesting beaches in the country in order for the life process to be successful.

According to information from the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa), six of the seven species of sea turtles nest on both coasts of our country, all classified as endangered and protected by Mexican law, but two of them The following are declared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to be “critically endangered”: the leatherback turtle, the largest in the world, also known in Mexico as the garapacho, and the hawksbill turtle, with the greatest number of spawning species in the world. coast of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.

For this reason, a few days ago the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) a decree declaring 17 nesting beaches as Protected Natural Areas (ANP) with the category Sanctuaries in the states of Chiapas, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Yucatán.

But what does this imply?

The so-called Protected Natural Areas are areas within national jurisdiction in which the original environments have not been significantly altered by human activity or whose ecosystems and integral functions need to be preserved and restored.

Currently, Semarnat’s National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (Conanp) manages 185 Protected Natural Areas, to which are added these 17 new declarations. According to Semarnat, it is the most effective tool to conserve ecosystems, allow the adaptation of biodiversity and face the effects of climate change.

According to the definition established in the Mexican regulation, Sanctuaries are areas established in zones characterized by a considerable richness of flora or fauna or by the presence of species, subspecies or habitats of restricted distribution.

In these Sanctuaries, only research, recreation and environmental education activities compatible with the nature and characteristics of the area are allowed, therefore, after their declaration, necessary adjustments are required to the polygons that will make up these new Protected Natural Areas and that will include nesting surfaces that They did not have protection, as well as areas in good condition for the development and conservation of these turtles.

In these areas, the participation of adjacent communities is encouraged, supported with subsidies and the collaboration of civil society organizations and volunteers. However, a legal figure and a budget are necessary to ensure their care and protection.

Importance of Shrines

To promote the production of sea turtle hatchlings, so that they can be raised and integrated into the marine environment, since 1966 the federal government implemented the National Program for the Conservation of Sea Turtles (PNCTM) through the installation of turtle camps.

In its beginnings, the PNCTM was operated by the National Fisheries Institute. Then, in the year 2000, it was transferred to the General Directorate of Wildlife, and in 2005 the Program was incorporated into the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas, which facilitated the involvement of technical personnel and specialists to intervene on 26 nesting beaches. .

The species of sea turtles that come to nest in Mexican Sanctuaries are: olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), green (Chelonia mydas) —also known as white and in the Pacific as black or brown—, loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and parrot (Lepidochelys kempii).

In addition, the pursuit of balance and conservation of the mangrove and dune ecosystems of the Mexican coast is essential to stabilize the coastline and avoid or reduce the loss of beaches. This facilitates water retention and infiltration into the subsoil, which regulates and maintains the temperature of the area, highly important factors for the nesting success of chelonians. That is why these land protection extensions have been included in the polygons of some of the Sanctuaries.

Nesting areas declared ANP

Tamaulipas

Yucatan

Quintana Roo

Sinaloa

• Ceuta Beach
• Huizache Caimanero Beach

Jalisco

• Playa Mismaloya
• Teopa Beach
• Playa Cuitzmala
• El Tecuan Beach

Michoacan

• Colola Beach
• Playa Maruata
• Mexiquillo Beach

Guerrero

• Piedra de Tlacoyunque Beach
• Tierra Colorada Beach

The categories for ANPs are:

• Biosphere reserves
• National Parks
• Flora and Fauna Protection Areas
• Natural Resources Protection Areas
• Natural monuments
• shrines
• Areas Voluntarily Destined for Conservation

nelly.toche@eleconomista.mx