Local Reef Deterioration Threatens Biodiversity in Cancún as Experts Sound Alarm

During the inaugural Quintana Roo Sustainability Forum, experts highlighted the significant deterioration of local reefs, with some areas in a critical state that are crucial for biodiversity.

Brigitta I. Van Tussenbroek, a researcher at the UNAM's Puerto Morelos Reef Systems Academic Unit, expressed deep concern about the current state of the reefs. "They have lost all their coverage of living coral, particularly the large corals that form the coral heads, which provide structural complexity and are essential for all biodiversity," she said during a panel discussion on beach and coastal dune recovery.

Van Tussenbroek also noted that waves are hitting the shore with increasing force, which impacts seagrass walls, beaches, and coasts. Reefs serve as the first line of defense against these waves and their deterioration has contributed to beach erosion. This erosion is caused by a combination of factors, including the reefs' decreasing ability to dissipate waves and the mass accumulation of sargassum seaweed due to poor management.

The accumulation of sargassum acts like a retaining wall, causing waves to crash and sand to erode. If left unchecked, all the seagrasses, which help stabilize the sand, will die, explained the researcher.

She further explained that beaches have a natural and stable dynamic. However, without grass or dunes, sandbanks are lost, and the beach area is reduced.

Van Tussenbroek cited measurements taken at the Nizuc viewpoint where erosion of 10 to 20 meters has been identified. In Puerto Morelos, the entire coast is eroding, up to a level of 10 meters. She stressed that the entire beach is eroding due to poor management, not just at the measured points, but also in other areas of the state.

She emphasized the importance of monitoring these changes, saying, "If we don't measure, we don't know what's happening. If we start to intervene without knowing if it's improving, it doesn't make much sense. We need to monitor because if we're going to do something, like reintroducing seagrass, we need to know if it's working."