Turtle nesting season has begun for Tulum with the discovery of a few nests; however, local officials have expressed concern, according to Riviera Maya News.
The director of municipal ecology, Francisco Chan Chablé, explained that with the sargasso seaweed (found in the Atlantic Ocean) found along the Tulum beach areas, there has been a high number of plastic materials that have arrived with the seagrass. Chan Chablé explains that the plastic stays on the beach and is material that traps the turtles.
Another issue for the turtles, according to Chan Chablé, are the nocturnal animals that roam the beaches at night, which are attracted by hotel food waste. Hotels reportedly have been asked to keep their organic waste covered to help prevent the animal attraction and reduce the risk to the sea turtles.
Riviera Maya News also says that members of the sea turtle committee are reinforcing efforts in an attempt to combat sea turtle egg looting, something that has become a common problem. Lucelly Ramos Montejo, president of the State Committee of Sea Turtles, says that municipal committees will be installed in the south of the state to coordinate surveillance and protection in the nesting areas that registered looting last year.
Chan Chablé notes that they are anticipating an even more successful egg-laying season. Last year in the state, nearly 100,000 sea turtle nests were counted.
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