Yucatan Coastal Wetlands

Thousands of flamingos migrate along the north coast between feeding and breeeding areas.
© Maria Andrade

Commonly overshadowed by its international fame as a vacation destination, the natural heritage of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula is truly astonishing. Each year, an estimated three billion birds migrate through the Yucatan Peninsula, providing just a glimpse of its significance to diversity of life on Earth. The concentration of coastal dunes, lagoons, mangrove swamps, seasonally flooded marshlands and lowland forest, provide a mosaic of habitats for everything from jaguars and sea turtles.

Location
The Yucatan Peninsula is Mexico's easternmost point and juts into the Caribbean Sea, bordering Central America to the south and the Gulf of Mexico to the west. The coastal wetlands line the coast from as far west as the state of Tabasco, around the northeastern tip of Cancún, all the way to the southern border with Belize.

Animals
Manatees and crocodiles live in the wetlands, while hundreds of miles of beach provide breeding areas for green, loggerhead, hawksbill and leatherback sea turtles. Inland forests provide habitat for:

Jaguar
Puma
Ocelot
Margay
Jaguarundi
Spider and howler monkeys
Tapirs

Birds
Flamingos, roseate spoonbills, herons and at least 330 other species of birds live around these wetlands. Neotropical songbirds, such the woodthrush and black-throated green warbler, migrate here to escape northern winters.

Plants
More than 1,200 species of vascular plants are found in these forests and wetlands including mangrove and medium-growth forests, palms and dozens of orchid species.

Why the Conservancy works here
Salt and fresh water pools attract great numbers of waterfowl, providing critical breeding and nesting areas for an estimated 500 bird species. The mangrove swamps, as the link between the salt and fresh water, regulate coastal water quality and supply nutrients to aquatic life, including shrimp, crabs and many fish species which provide the base of the food chain. The mangroves also nourish the near shore Meso-American Reef—the second largest reef system in the world after Australia's Great Barrier Reef—and the enormous variety of coral and fish species it supports.

The coastal waters of the Yucatán serve as prime habitat for the caiman which feeds on the multitude of fish species found in the mangroves.
© The Nature Conservancy

The extensive natural resources of Ría Celestún and Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserves are diminishing due to tourism development, overfishing, inappropriate waste management, building of roads, salt harvesting and water contamination from poor agricultural practices. Manatees, wild boars, and several plant species have already disappeared from the north coast.

On the Caribbean coast, the tourist mecca of Cancun is just 80 miles north of the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. Steady development pressure is pushing the tourism corridor south of Tulum, threatening the reserve and its offshore reefs.

What the Conservancy is doing
Working with Amigos de Sian Ka’an and Pronatura Peninsula Yucatán, its primary partners in the region, the Conservancy is currently involved in the following high-priority activities which are part of the comprehensive conservation strategy for the Yucatán:

Pez Maya/Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve: The Conservancy is assisting Mexican conservation organizations with funding to purchase key tracts of land and provide technical support for the establishment of conservation easements on priority properties. In 2002, the Conservancy and Amigos de Sian Ka'an acquired Pez Maya, a key tract of land that strategically protects the only access to the northern coastal lagoons and wetlands systems of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. With local partners, the Conservancy is currently implementing strategic activities identified in a five-year conservation plan for the reserve.

Ría Lagartos/Isla Holbox/Yum balam: With partner Pronatura Peninsula Yucatán, the Conservancy is initiating a land protection program in the region, home to a vast array of waterfowl, including large populations of flamingos. The partners also plan to address critical development threats to the turtle nesting beaches of Isla Holbox.

Mesoamerican Reef: Together with national and international partners, the Conservancy is developing a joint action plan for the entire Mesoamerican Reef system. Through this joint effort, conservationists in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras are identifying key marine areas such as spawning aggregation sites and priority coral reefs to ensure their long term protection. The Conservancy has also facilitated the creation of a spawning aggregation working group, comprised of local fishermen, researchers, reserve staff and other practitioners working on spawning aggregation monitoring in the region.