Quintana Roo is turning to nature-based solutions as it expands restoration efforts for Riviera Maya beaches damaged by coastal erosion.
The plan includes restoring 12 kilometers of beach in Cancún, 12 in Playa del Carmen, some 3 kilometers in Cozumel, and 6 kilometers in Puerto Morelos — areas where beaches have shrunk or disappeared due to coastal development and extreme weather events like hurricanes
State Minister of Ecology and Environment Óscar Rébora Aguilera said that beach restoration is vital to avoid negative impacts on tourism and to protect the coastal environment.
Rébora said the state environment ministry (SEMA) is currently finalizing technical details of the Environmental Impact Statement (MIA) to carry out the restoration work. He added that complementary studies are expected to be completed this month in the hopes that the federal environment ministry approves the MIA before summer vacation season begins.
With the new MIA, the state is seeking to expand beach restoration efforts across the Riviera Maya. Current environmental approvals only cover a 12-kilometer stretch of beach in Cancún.
“In collaboration with researchers, we are seeking to expand the MIA to the areas that show the greatest erosion of beaches,” Rébora said.
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According to a satellite study and monitoring program conducted by the Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) since 2020, Puerto Morelos shows the greatest erosion of beaches in the Mexican Caribbean. In the most severely eroded areas, water has reached hotel structures. Experts say there’s no way to restore the dunes as the beach in those places has disappeared.
Vicente Ferreyra Acosta, chief of the sustainable tourism consultancy Sustentur, said that that is why it is important to establish dune restoration programs in areas where remaining dunes can still be restored.
For the project, Rébora said the state is evaluating two scenarios. The first one involves identifying sandbanks to rebuild the coastline. The second scenario consists of rebuilding dunes damaged by hotel and condominium developments. The state is consulting with experts and Cuban government representatives to evaluate the possibility of dune restoration, Rébora said.
“We can’t just continue replenishing the beach. We must propose nature-based solutions, such as rebuilding dunes and restoring coral reefs. All these elements are being considered,” Rébora said.
In addition to beach restoration, the project also includes strengthening the coral reef in the targeted areas. Nearly 60% of the reef ecosystem has suffered severe damage due to rising sea temperatures in recent years.
With reports from Heraldo de México, Quintana Roo Hoy and El Economista
