According to Jorge Alfredo Herrera Silveira, Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, CINVESTAV), 30% of the mangroves in Yucatán have been lost due to the uncontrolled advance of civil engineering works and the entry of salt water.
(CINVESTAV) The biologist explained that the harbors, which are mainly used by fishing communities, have been connected to wetlands, at the Second Mangroves of America Congress.
He added that there is less fresh water and the patents have been filled with organic material, while municipalities have issued permits for the construction of housing in these areas.
He explained that mangroves are like a “sponge” that absorbs water during hurricane season, and referred to the fact that in 2020 when tropical storms “Amanda”, “Cristóbal” and hurricanes “Gamma”, “Delta” and “Zeta” passed through Yucatán if mangroves were not affected, there would have been no serious effects.
Víctor Vidal Martínez, director of the Centro Mérida-CINVESTAV, mentioned that mangroves are one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world: “due to indiscriminate coastal development, to such an extent that some countries have lost 50% of their mangroves in the last 20 years”.
He mentioned that in Mexico 10% of mangrove cover has been lost in 25 years: “in addition to the impacts of coastal development, mangrove ecosystems are sensitive to the effects of climate change, such as sea level rise, extreme storms, increased waves and wind, sea temperature, variations in rainfall and humidity (…) climate change is aggravating mangroves and the effects on coasts and tropical areas”.
Yadira Gómez Herrera, regional director of operations of the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas), explained that there are 185 protected areas in the country and 49 are mangroves, in which there are mangrove populations.
In the meeting of scientists, considering the situation in México, they estimate that the global goal is to avoid the loss of 168 square kilometers by 2030.
In a graphic presentation, they detail that the country has practically established its net rate of mangrove loss, on average from 1996 to 2020, 447 square kilometers.
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