Reports on Coral Reef Restoration & Conservation In Mexico

Project Report | Dec 10, 2024
Dedicated work continues

By Mexico team | Project Team

Thank you so much for your continued support of our project—it means the world to us!

Here’s a glimpse of what we’ve been up to over the past few months:

Turtle education: Empowering our community through knowledge is important. Our dedicated volunteers shared their skills and insights with locals, fostering growth and inspiration Together, we’re building a brighter future educating the community on conservation efforts and the importance of protecting these amazing creatures

Coral Reef Conservation: We support federal partners in monitoring and maintaining the coral reef nursery, including participating in the coral fragmentation process to aid reef restoration.

Coral care: corals need a lot more care than you think!! We keep their substrate clean so they can grow happy and healthy.

Crab care: Several times a week our volunteers assist our partners in feeding these friendly creatures.Our partners breed crabs in captivity and release them on our reef once they reach a certain size. This is done to give these crabs a better chance of survival as they have many predators. Although these crabs are omnivores, they are crucial to a coral reefs ecosystem as algae is just one of their preferred foods. They keep the reef nice and tidy to give corals the space they need to grow!

Beach Cleans are an essential part of our initiatives in Puerto Morelos. We take time each week to clean our beaches and reduce the amount of plastics that enter our ocean. There's a focus on picking up micro plastics to avoid wildlife from ingesting it by accident. A micro plastic is defined by anything less than 2.5cm. We collect around 80-200 pieces of micro plastics every week.

You too can help with reducing microplastics! here's just a few tips.

Pick up after yourself and take a bag for trash after you are done enjoying the beach
Use a reusable water bottle and avoid single use plastics
Each time you go to the beach pick up 5 pieces of trash.

Thank you for your incredible support. Your generosity provides us with the resources needed to continue our vital work. Together, we’re making a difference!

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Aug 12, 2024
Range of work continues in Mexico

By Mexico team | Project team

Thanks for all your support for our project, it is greatly appreciated.

Here's what we've been up to in the past few months.

We've continued our beach cleans as well as some clean ups around town.

Assisting with Conch monitoring with our Federal Mexican partners. We do this four times a year. The Mexican government will use this data set to assess whether or not the Queen Conch is safe to hunt/harvest for local fisherman and general trade.

Meeting with local fishermen to hear about the challenges they face with the dwindling fish in the sea. This is so motivating for our teams.

Supporting our Federal partners in the monitoring and cleaning in the coral reef nursery. Participating in the coral fragmentation process of the coral nursery.

Partneringwith the Eagle Ray project They taught us their data collection and analysis process! Our overall goal is to track Spotted Eagle Ray trends in their seasonal behaviors and migratory patterns.

We have 2 of the 7 sea turtle species nest on our shores! we work with our federal partners to tag, mark nests, and monitor population density.

When hurricane Beryl was on its way, we helped relocated some of the turtle eggs to improve their chance of survival. Sea Turtles are an endangered species and are federally protected in Mexico. We are able to complete this in-field work with our federal Mexican partners

We acknowledged World Ocean Day the theme was “Catalyzing Action for Our Ocean & Climate,”

It emphasised transformative collaborations to address the climate crisis by protecting ocean ecosystems. On social media, we shared some ways individuals can help.

We should consider every day as ocean day! Here's how you can help.

Reduce plastic use: say no to single use plastics and join beach cleans

Conserve water: use water wisely to reduce water pollution

Choose sustainable seafood: support responsible fishing practices

Reduce carbon footprint: use energy efficient appliances, bike, walk, public transport

Educate yourself and others: learn about oceans and share your knowledge!

Once again, that's for your wonderful support. It supports us with the resources we need to continue our work.

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Apr 2, 2024
World Water Day highlights importance of clean water

By Mexico team | Project Leader

Thankyou for your continued support for our conservation project.

World Water Day often serves as a platform to raise awareness about the importance of clean water, not only for human consumption but also for the health of our oceans and coastal environments.

On World Water Day, March 22nd, our team visited the beach to highlight the connection between water pollution and marine ecosystems.

Our beach cleaning initiatives not only help to remove litter and debris from coastal areas but also educate the public about the importance of reducing plastic waste and preventing pollution. Your support allows us to provide resources for these initiatives.

Last year our team conducted 33 site clean-ups and collected over 44 kgs of plastic waste. This year we have already collected over 120 kgs of plastic waste.

By participating in weekly beach cleaning activities throughout the year, we aim to highlight the importance of protecting and preserving our oceans and water resources.

Our work has also included assisting in out-planting several Orbicella and Diploria corals on the reef with our Federal partners.

These corals are important reef-building species and contribute to coral reef ecosystems' structural integrity and biodiversity. Unfortunately, they are also susceptible to various threats, including coral bleaching, ocean acidification, pollution, and disease outbreaks such as Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD).

However, these coral fragments were out-planted on our reef as they have shown resilience, specifically in recovering from last summer's bleaching event. We are optimistic these little ones will survive and thrive after this summer's prediction of a more severe bleaching event.

Your valued donations allow us to continue working with our partners on these restoration projects. Your support through donations is greatly appreciated.

You can also help us help our oceans by limiting our use of single use plastics, harsh chemicals in cleaning supplies and of course recycle, REUSE and REDUCE!

Thank you for your support!