Eco Programs Thrive!

Last year, the Punta Sur Ecotourism Park, overseen by the Foundation of Parks and Museums of Cozumel (FPMC), welcomed 3,498 students from 89 different groups. These groups, comprised of schools, associations, and academic and research institutions, visited the park to engage in various conservation, restoration, and environmental education projects. This initiative is part of the New Agreement for the Well-being and Development of Quintana Roo, led by Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa. The FPMC aims to provide students and researchers with opportunities to interact with nature and study the environmental processes occurring within the park's diverse ecosystems.

Each group was given individual attention by the Director and Assistant Director of Punta Sur, Jesús Benavides Andrade and Héctor González Cortés. They used an "experiential learning" model, which encourages knowledge acquisition, skill development, and attitude formation through direct experience and reflection. Benavides Andrade noted that the park was visited by students from all over the country and abroad, who participated in activities such as beach cleanups, mangrove ecosystem restoration, and coastal dune recovery.

Notably, students from the Environmental Restoration Degree program at the Autonomous University of Chapingo gained firsthand experience with the Mangrove Ecosystem Restoration Program at the Laguna Colombia Ecological Reserve. They also contributed to the restoration of shrubs and coastal dunes. Students from the Natural Resources Management course at the Autonomous University of Quintana Roo, as well as Biology and Marine Biology students from the Autonomous University of Yucatán and Anahuac Cancun University, learned about the importance of preserving Protected Natural Areas, with a focus on coastal wetlands.

Volunteers from the Cozumel Foundation and the Sac-Tun company also played a part, planting 300 Sea Grape plants in Punta Sur's coastal area to aid in dune restoration and conservation. In closing, Benavides Andrade affirmed the FPMC's commitment to working with the education sector to encourage active involvement of young people in the conservation and restoration of the island's ecosystems.