Wildlife in Peril: Playa del Carmen Drought Crisis

Local wildlife in Playa del Carmen is predicted to be severely impacted within the next 20 days if the area doesn't receive any rainfall. The region is currently experiencing an intense drought.

Jorge Fuentes Gómez, an environmentalist who monitors the spider monkey population in the Xcalacoco area, north of Playa del Carmen, has reported that the primates are depleting the last reserves of water from the mangroves. They are also consuming the remaining fruits on the trees. However, both water and food resources are becoming increasingly scarce.

Fuentes Gómez warns, "If the drought continues in this manner, in the next 15 to 20 days, if it doesn't rain, we will face a more complex issue for the animals, particularly the primates. When there are no fruits on the native trees, such as the sapodilla, ramón, and guarumo, they eat the tender shoots. But currently, there are none."

Over the past two weeks, there has been no recorded rainfall in Playa del Carmen, according to local meteorologist Luis Antonio Morales Ocaña. "Water is needed. The jungle is dry, and the region's typical wildlife is in a dire situation. Everything is a consequence of climate change, logging, and deforestation. We hope for rain soon, as it is urgently needed," stated Fuentes.

In the Xcalacoco area, Fuentes, who oversees an Environmental Management Unit (UMA), has visually identified a group of up to 15 spider monkeys. Other species, such as agoutis, coatis, deer, and small felines, also inhabit the area. At present, environmentalists…