Is tourism eco-friendly?

A lagoon at XCaret Eco Park

The Mexican government started to develop the Mayan Rivera in the 1970s. They planned it carefully, keeping as much of the land natural as possible. About 25% of the Mayan region has some kind of ecological protection, while only 15% of the land is dedicated to other uses such as resorts and tourism, and about 51% of the region is still covered by trees and jungle.
There are numerous eco parks, such as XCaret, Xel-Ha snorkeling area, or Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, which is one of the largest protected areas in Mexico (2,500 square miles). This reserve has canals, mangroves, lagoons and inlets. At the park, vistors are able to learn more about conservation.


At all of the eco parks you have to wear biodegradable sunscreen to protect the environment, and they post signs about keeping the parks clean from garbage.  Some hotels are even trying to improve by becoming green certified, because customers are interested in protecting the environment. We learned from our travel agent that Mayan Resorts have their own greenhouses and grow their own produce. This helps reduce gas from trucks carrying produce to the resort.


One problem with the development of tourist places, is that it can take away the mangroves that protect the coastline.  Mangroves help to filter out mud and particles, which helps to keep the coral reef healthy.  If too many mangroves are taken away along the coast, then it hurts the coral.  The sea grass also helps to protect the coral.  If you are snorkeling and step on the sea grass, then you could be damaging the coral reef.