COZUMEL, Mexico, January 20, 2008 (ENS) - To minimize the impact of up to 10,000 visitors a day on Cozumel’s sensitive coral reef ecosystem, a conservation agreement was signed here last week by cruise industry leaders representing government, private sector, civil society, and the cruise lines.Part of the Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative, MARTI, the agreement is aimed at preserving some of the most endangered biodiversity on the planet living in the world’s most visited cruise destination - Cozumel.

Conservation International, Cozumel’s Department of Tourism and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association have been working together for 12 months to bring this agreement to fruition.

The agreement is intended to enhance environmental awareness and education of cruise ship passengers, tour operators, service providers and the local community about the area’s fragile natural resources that include endangered hawksbill turtles and living coral reefs.

Endangered hawksbill turtle swims by reef at Cozumel. (Photo by Simone Rossini)

Parties to the agreement pledged to improve island management of tourism infrastructure, including improving island traffic and waste management.

They agreed to foster increased protection for Cozumel’s reef system and promote consistent application and enforcement of laws and regulations.

“This is an exciting moment in time, bringing many different interests together to work on the common goal of protecting Cozumel’s natural heritage in order to strike the right balance between tourism and conserving the environment it depends on,” said Seleni Matus, MARTI Advisor for Conservation International, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC.

“Maintaining the health of Cozumel’s natural assets is vital not only to global biodiversity but also to the island’s economic health and stability and the well-being of its inhabitants,” Matus said.

The agreement provides a framework to facilitate the sustainability of cruise tourism in Cozumel through concerted action by government, private sector, civil society organizations and cruise lines that all have a stake in ensuring a healthy future of the island’s natural assets.

Mexico’s undersecretary for tourism planning, the secretary of tourism for the state of Quintana Roo, and the mayor of Cozumel were witnesses to the signing of this conservation agreement.

“As the world’s most visited cruise destination, Cozumel takes seriously the challenge of balancing continued growth of cruise tourism with protection of our island’s natural heritage,” said Mayor Gustavo Ortega Joaquín.

“Moving forward, all sectors of Cozumel’s tourism industry will need to continue to work together to face the larger challenge of balancing continued growth of tourism and development, both within and beyond the cruise sector, with sustained and large-scale conservation efforts,” the mayor said.

These actions emerged from a series of focus groups and a multi-stakeholder workshop that brought together more than 80 cruise industry leaders to define high priority environmental issues related to cruise visitation, and reach consensus on collaborative actions for addressing them.

This participatory planning process for the cruise industry is the first of its kind in the region, making Cozumel a pioneer cruise destination in demonstrating its commitment to protecting its natural attractions and biodiversity.

The initiative was made possible with support from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Coral Reef Conservation Fund and the Cruise Lines International Association.

Cruise ships in port in Cozumel, Mexico. (Photo courtesy Direccion de Turismo Municipal, H. Ayuntamiento de Cozumel)

Cruise industry leaders formed a multi-sector Destination Stewardship Working Group through which they will collaborate to implement the commitments outlined in the conservation agreement.

Over the past four months, this Working Group has implemented three conservation projects that are already demonstrating tangible improvements.

A newly produced 30-second educational video is shown to passengers onboard cruise ships encouraging them to leave a light footprint.

A photo exhibition highlighting Cozumel’s most pristine areas is displayed near piers and shopping areas.

And a recycling campaign is now offered on board all tour boats and offices of onshore service providers.

Next steps include continuing to develop the environmental education campaign, not only for cruise ship passengers, but also for service providers and the local community.

The partners estimate that Cozumel’s destination-level Cruise Passenger Education Campaign will reach more than 500,000 cruise visitors over the next six months.

Cozumel’s coast is part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, which extends from the southern half of the Yucatan Peninsula to the Bay Islands of Honduras. It is the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere and one of the world’s most endangered reef systems.

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