*General Information about Chetumal*

Hello Everybody, well firs of all I would like to tell you something about Chetumal. Chetumal became the capital when Quintana Roo became a state and since then the population has grown to nearly 130,000, including suburbs. Chetumal was never a tourist destination in itself, but it does have a unique Caribbean feel due to its proximity to breezy Belize. This is a good base for day-trips into southern Quintana Roo and the surrounding countryside offers some pleasing diversions.

SAVE THE TEPESCUINCLE!

As it is known, in our State (Q.Roo) there are a lot of animals who are in danger of extinction! One of the animals is the Tepescuincles. To save them in the wild, breeding farms have been created in Central America and tropical Mexico. Although they are a traditional Maya treat, please decline these if you see them on the menu!

"Definition of Danger of extinction"

What does “danger of extinction” means?
It refers to the status of any particular specie, plant or animal, where it has fewer members, whatever to be the cause, than required for multiplying the number of individuals contains it.

Why the species get this danger of extinction status?
Most of the time this happens as a result of the anthropogenic activities such as: roads construction, agriculture, industry, and livestock farming; these activities provoke a habitat break. Furthermore, some natural and sudden disasters can result in a rapid change in geographical conditions, destroying some ecosystem and erasing others. In consequence, some species result more adapted to new environments (evolution), some die in the attempt, and many others falls in the endangered category.

Loosing biodiversity: put some species in danger, and others to extinction
Despite the several advantages resulting of taking care of our ecosystems and its natural inhabitants, it has been determined and known almost 1.8 millions of species in the whole world, is has been calculated to exist between 13 until 100 millions; but the rate of extinction is so accelerate that by the 2050 year we would have lost the half, many of them unknown for the science. An approximation of how much we have been lost tell us about 60% of tropical wet jungle, 25% mammals, and 11% from the total of birds are endangered. A specific study with precise information would need a lot of money and thousands of specialists capable for gather information from fields, and dedicated only for to. It is difficult to protect what is unknown.

Causes
They can be divided into two groups: immediate and structural, the first ones are consequence of the second ones. Its impact varies at local, regional, or global levels. In other words, a same problem can have different consequences from region to region; it shows that solutions have to be designed taking into account the socio-cultural and geographical context of each region.

a) Immediate
- break and lose of the Habitat
- over exploitation of the wild life sources
- new and other species invasions
- water, soil, and atmosphere contamination

b) Structural
- demographic growth
- absence and errors of institutions
- market and political errors
- errors in the flow of information
- useless patterns of incomes and cultural
- forced expansion of the hegemonic model of development

Biodiversity

Biodiversity
Some people may think they know this concept, other may say they have an approximated idea; others surely will say they just do not know. Well, here we presented a definition as much clear and easy to read as we can.

What is Biodiversity?
English neologism from Greek word βιο (life) and Latin word diversĭtas, -ātis (variety)
It is the variability of live organisms from any resource including those species living on earth and into aquatic body, along with any ecological complex structure they belong to. It includes the diversity into species, among them, and between species and ecosystems. It is considered composed by three types of “varieties” clearly related each other:

Genetic, genetic varieties or sub specific genetic forms varieties
Taxonomic, species variety or other taxonomic categories
Ecological, ecosystem variety at any geographic level

Each ecosystem has organisms that are part of an “everything,” acting reciprocally among themselves, with the wind, water, and soil. The most remarkable characteristic of Biodiversity is its constant evolution, not only at species level, but also over individual organisms. Besides, it is not uniformly distributed through the whole planet: abundant in tropical regions, less abundant as more as closing up to the Polar Regions.

(Definition based on Edward O. Wilson)
http://www.wikipedia.es.com

In other words, biodiversity refers to all species –plants and animals- living together into a space given, including that space.

mega diversity

What is Mega Diversity?
It refers to the fact that some countries posses more biodiversity than others; it means, they present more species, all different, living together into a determined portion of space which contains aquatic bodies and land at different altitudes and latitudes.

Does it have any relation with the endangered species?
Because of all species, including human beings are parts of a bigger and more complex system; and every specie have suffered an evolutive process, depending on how much that environment had changed too, permitting to appear new types of individuals, better adapted to its environment. As it was said before, not all the new species continues life, many just die due to the lack of speciation (biological and genetic adaptation). And just by knowing the characteristics and components of any ecosystem, it is possible to determine which the endangered species are, which are the sources overexploited, and what to do to stop the causes along with the design of programs to save them.

Why is important to know what biodiversity is and what it represents?
Because of all the services, benefits, and advantages provided to the social life and to the environment balance. Being mega diverse represents a huge responsibility of taking care, preserve, and make an adequate usage of the natural and ecological sources; in other words, it means to guarantee its existence. Besides, it allows us to live in the planet, by provide a balanced world, a nice place to live.

Some countries, known as megadiverses, have signed a document noticing the plus value (strategic, economic, and social) of all the natural sources; it establishes the urgent necessity of making laws for an equally distribution of the sources, avoiding its overexploitation; and suggesting these countries to adopt common postures toward a rational usage of their sources.

Basically, it is about change the visions we have about the nature and to stop see ourselves as an element apart; is about to assume our responsibility in the search of long term solutions and the establishment of conservation and protection programs and strategies.

Some important information

Let's Help them!!

We already talk about some concepts like endangered, biodiversity, mega diversity, and about some other information. Now it is moment to talk about the most common procedures to increase the number of member of endangered specie, later to be saved. Again, we have tried to write the less scientific language so anyone could understand.

Some procedures created to save some species endangered
Ex situ. It is the reproduction outside of the natural environment. Usually for specific situations where can not be known or effectively controlled those factors causing the danger of extinction. In these cases captivity serves as a life insurance against the extinction of the specie; besides it helps to preserve the genetic diversity. This procedure controls the changes in the genetic evolution, and sometimes those changes never become happen.

In situ. It is the reproduction of species in their natural environment, usually converted as natural reserved areas. In these cases the species keeps their natural evolution, and the genetic material also is preserved, along with its correspondent enrichment. This procedure helps to conserve the genetic diversity, and it is very respectful to all natural changes in the evolution.

*Reefs in Akumal*

Hello visitors! =)

Well, most of the poeple think that Coral is not in danger of extinction or worst, they just do not care about it. But Reefs are very important for the sea life. The coral reefs at Akumal are showing serious signs of degradation. Fortunately, in 1994 CEA and Cornell University’s Center for the Environment began a long-term monitoring program at Akumal to provide baseline data of Akumal’s coral reefs.

From the literature the folowing pressures emerge as the leading causes of coral reef damage and death the world over. Hurricanes and tropical storms are naturally occurring phenomena and up until very recently the coral reefs appeared to recover from most damage by storms. Terrestrial sedimentation does not appear to be a problem here at Akumal, if the clarity of the groundwater when it enters the sea is any indication.

• Some Important facts about our coral reefs
  · The corals are fragile animals.
  · Coral reefs are millions of years old.
  · Corals grow very slowly, some no more than 1-2 cm. per year.
  · Coral reefs grow in clear, nutrient-free, tropical waters.
  · The coral reefs act as natural barriers along the coast protecting it from erosion and storms.
  · The coral reef is the principal habitat and nursery for more than 2,500 species of fish and other animals.
  · The coral reefs of the Méxican Caribbean are part of the second longest barrier reef in the world, more than 500 kilometers long.

• Ways you can help preserve our coral reefs:
  · Please take only your memories and not anything dead or alive from the sea.
  · A touch, a step, or a kick with your fins will damage and may kill the corals.
  · Kicking sand with your fins near the corals may cover them with sediment and they will suffocate.
  · Akumal is a community-protected area and it is prohibited to fish with a spear gun.
  · Please do not buy, take from the sea or eat conch; it is a species in danger of extinction.
  · Be selective when you are ordering or buying fish.