With an area of approximately 120 km², 99% of which is marine and the rest consisting of land and inland waters, Cozumel Reefs National Park is a natural aquarium that serves as the habitat for a wide variety of marine life.
As its name suggests, the park is distinguished by its stunning coral reef barrier, which is part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System—the second-largest reef system in the world, after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. This vast reef stretches for nearly 1,000 kilometers along the Caribbean coast, from the northern Yucatán Peninsula through Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Cozumel Reefs National Park is home to countless marine species, many of them threatened or endangered. In this protected natural area, a great variety of flora and fauna interact. More than 500 species of colorful fish, anemones, shrimp, crabs, lobster, hard and soft corals, to mention just a few species that can be found at the site. This incredible biodiversity led to its declaration as a National Park in 1996.
The National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP) is the organization responsible for protecting and safeguarding the Cozumel Reefs National Park (among many other protected areas in Mexico). Human activities and pollution strongly threaten this fragile ecosystem. Minimal changes in the balance of this habitat can result in hundreds of years of marine life recovery.
That’s why there’s an organization in charge of managing the park; whether they do a good or bad job will be up to each individual’s interpretation.
Some of the measures CONANP implements include educating the population and tourists about sustainable ways to interact with the environment, establishing rules for water activities, seeking funds from different organizations to invest in park protection, and implementing a rotation system where different points of the natural area rest from diving and snorkeling every two months.
Cozumel is probably the most important diving destination in the Americas. This is due to the biodiversity we mentioned, but also other factors. Most diving takes place within the protected natural area, on the western side of the island, so it’s not open sea. The island itself and the reef reduce wave strength, making the journey to diving sites very comfortable, especially for people who get seasick easily. The reef is very close to shore, so trips are very short. Visibility is incredible, reaching more than 100 feet (30 meters). If you’re a diving enthusiast, Cozumel is a must-visit destination.
Finding balance is the most complicated part. On one hand, we have a neglected National Park and a declining reef; on the other, the people of Cozumel depend almost entirely on tourist activity. Is excess tourism threatening the ecosystem? Probably yes. Do islanders need tourism to live? Definitely yes. Where do we draw the line? Where can we find balance? What’s certain is that at the current rate, everyone will lose. The reef will die, and tourism will stop coming. What can we do? We want to know your opinion.