Due to Yucatan’s historic drought and high temperatures, the plant known as the dzidzilché has not flourished. This is bad news for beekeepers, and for the honey bees that fuel much of the Peninsula’s economy. A low harvest scenario is predicted, said the director of Abeja Planet, Nelly Ortiz Vázquez. “We are waiting for the…
Day upon day of sunshine has a downside: Yucatan is heading towards it most intense drought in 34 years. According to the weather forecast models, this year’s critical situation is comparable to the droughts of 1986 and 1962, said UADY meteorologist Juan Vázquez Montalvo. When the Peninsula goes dry, wildfires are a higher risk, and…
In Yucatan, 400 songbirds are captured daily to be sold as pets. From there, their lives are in peril, and the wildlife they are stolen from suffers. Of every 10 parrots and macaws, eight die in even before they are sold as pets, said José Pier Medina, director of the Proyecto Santamaría. The group meets today for…
The Yucatan Peninsula and other Caribbean coastal towns are bracing for what has become an annual crisis — sargassum tides consisting of a floating, brown macroalgae. This year, though, less of the stinky seaweed is expected. That’s a relief, since 2019 was a record-high year for the stinky seaweed. The University of South Florida Outlook…
The condition of the world’s second-largest coral system, the Mesoamerican Reef stretching from the Yucatan Peninsula to Central America, has taken a turn for the worse and faces further threats from climate change, according to a report by a group of scientists. Extending nearly 1,000 km / 620 miles from the northern tip of Mexico’s…
Progreso, Yucatan — City crews brought heavy machinery to address tons of sargassum that invaded the beach over the weekend. About 50 workers attempted to prevent the algae from spreading to the entire coastal strip, according to Diario de Yucatan. On Saturday, the Malecon beach woke up with little sargassum. But by Sunday or Monday, the sea…
Temozón, Yucatan — President Andrés Manuel López and Gov. Mauricio Vila Dosal will promote the construction of a honey distribution center, which will also work with a processor to pack and package “so that we not only sell the honey at a good price, but also a finished product, which can leave a greater economic…
The port city of Progreso is on the cusp of obtaining Blue Flag Mexico certification for complying with various environmental protection standards, said Mayor Julián Zacarías Curi.
The United Nations expressed its support Monday for the Mayan Train, one of Mexico’s pet infrastructure projects.
A group of environmentalists are casting doubt on the claims of an upbeat 2018 census issued by a group of mainstream wildlife groups. The 2018 National Jaguar Census (Cenjaguar) estimated about 4,800 adult specimens in Mexico, up 20 percent in eight years. Of those, about 1,800 were thought to be in Yucatan. That study lacks…
Beekeepers in the Yohactun Hidaglo neighborhood are gathering court evidence after a mass die-off in their hives.
A “Camino del Mayab” will allow hikers and bikers to explore a 100-kilometer walking circuit that runs through 13 localities in Yucatan. The project is being created by the eco-tourism group EcoGuerreros (Eco Warriors) Yucatán and is expected to be completed in December 2020. In addition to enjoying the attractions of the municipalities, communities can…
Faced with huge electric bills, municipalities across Yucatan are going solar. The savings have been immediate.
Yucatecan beekeepers are looking for new ways to maintain production as they face perhaps their biggest set of crises in memory. Boom times for honey from Yucatan, roughly from 2008 to 2012, are over. At the time, Yucatan was first in Mexico in both honey production and exports. A major customers was on the other…
Animal-rights proponents are fighting a Facebook page that invites tourists to fish and hunt game in Yucatan.
Yucatan state authorities are spending 14 million pesos to restore beaches in Chuburna and Telchac, where beach erosion is a constant problem. The sand project follows studies by UNAM, the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Gov. Mauricio Vila Dosal on Friday supervised the project in the shelter port of Chuburna, where the “bypass” channel was…
A fatal bacteria that originated in Yucatan now threatens Florida’s iconic palm trees. Lethal bronzing also is found in parts of Texas and throughout the Caribbean. The disease has already heavily damaged Jamaica’s coconut plantations. Some worry it will migrate to California and Arizona, infecting date crops. But ground zero for the bacteria is the…
[metaslider id=”48294″] A major threat to the coral has been detected at Isla Perez at Arrecife Alacranes, or Scorpion Reef National Park. Personnel from the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp) off Yucatan’s Gulf coast said they detected White Syndrome, which attacks and kills corals in a matter of weeks. White Syndrome has been…
Merida, Yucatan — Despite ongoing reforestation campaigns, the city has a definite preference for concrete over trees. Rapid growth and new roadways in the city’s north have underscored the problem. From Francisco de Montejo to Altabrisa, these flat-lying and concrete-laden neighborhoods have become a “plancha de calor,” a hot griddle that is on average 3…
The Yucatan Peninsula’s natural treasures are at risk with the federal government’s closing of a 12-year-old science unit that protected its diverse plant life. The Forest Germplasm Production Unit (UPGF), under the National Forestry Commission (Conafor), closed its doors July 1. The shutdown leaves no one to manage and care for seeds to reforest Mexico’s…
Progreso — A Sea Ray Sundancer ran aground on the Arrecife Alacranes, possibly damaging a federally protected area, police said. The hull of the 47-foot luxury cabin cruiser was ripped open when the pilot hit a rocky area, according to the report, which did not identify the boat’s owner. The Sundancer had sailed from Yucalpeten…
Biotechnology and nanotechnology will be employed to sanitize Yucatan’s sacred cenotes.
With an estimated 10 vaquita porpoises left in the world, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee today designated the marine mammal’s only remaining habitat, the Gulf of California, as “in danger.” Doing so helps drive support and financing from governments of other nations, such as China and the United States, to help Mexico build out a…
Twelve Caribbean nations whose beaches have been invaded by tons of sargassum have agreed to seek international economic support to fight a problem affecting 19 nations. The meeting, held in Quintana Roo, gathered ministers of environment and tourism of 12 countries. It was coordinated by the state’s governor, Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez. One response is to…
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