A beach in Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, is the municipality’s first to win a Blue Flag title, awarded by the Danish Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

The designation, for Ventana al Mar beach, is awarded to beaches and marinas that meet the FEE’s standards for sustainability.

In a ceremony on Monday, Puerto Morelos Mayor Laura Fernández Piña raised the blue flag over the beach and noted that the municipality had been working with the FEE for two years to get the title.

“Today, we reaffirm our calling to be a green municipality,” she said. “We also reaffirm our commitment to progress, to address the needs of the present without risking the ability of future generations to satisfy their own needs.”

In order to obtain a Blue Flag designation, a beach must demonstrate quality and excellence in environmental management and hold environmental education activities. Fernández said the Blue Flag beaches are inspected every year by the FEE to make sure they still fulfill the requirements.

“This doesn’t just end here,” she said. “We have another challenge coming up, which is to revalidate the certification next year so we can remain a part of the exclusive group of Blue Flag beaches and marinas in Mexico and across the world.”

The mayor also said that the Blue Flag over Ventana al Mar beach is just one of several sustainable development projects the municipality is working on.

“We’re focused on becoming a model for tourism that is totally environmentally friendly,” she said. “We’ll make Puerto Morelos the best place to live, with a modern vision in which development goes hand-in-hand with the preservation of our ecosystems.”

Puerto Morelos is also seeking an international certification as a sustainable tourism destination from the company Biosphere México.

FEE Mexico executive director Joaquín Díaz Ríos recognized the efforts of Mayor Fernández and her cooperation with the state and federal governments to win the Blue Flag title for Ventana al Mar.

“Puerto Morelos is competing with other beaches not just around the country, but all over the world,” he said.

Source: Novedades Quintana Roo (sp)