We have lots of seasons in the Riviera Maya. We have high and low seasons, bull and whale shark seasons, and hurricane season. Each year another very important season comes to our shores for six months of the year. Turtle nesting season
Turtle nesting season has begun in the Riviera Maya and turtles will be making their way to our beaches from now until October. Female sea turtles return to the beaches where they were hatched, relying on millions of years of evolution to direct them from distant waters back to beaches like Akumal, Tulum, Xcacel, Xpuha and Paamul. Three species of turtles (the hawksbill, green, and loggerhead) return to dig their nests and lay up to 200 eggs. After they lay their eggs, they head back to the sea and don’t return until the next nesting seasons. Their job is done, and the rest is up to the babies.
Since nearly all sea turtle species are listed as endangered and only one percent survive to sexual maturity, they need every opportunity to be successful, and it is important that we do what we can to protect them.
Those of us who live in and visit the Mexican Caribbean can do small things to ensure the protection of sea turtles. Defenders.org suggests five things you can do to help:
- Turn off lights visible from the beach. Since the babies use the reflection of the moon on the water to guide them to the sea, artificial light confuses them, and they can head in the wrong direction.
- Reduce the amount of garbage you produce and clean up any trash on the beach. Turtles get tangled in and ingest a disgusting amount of plastics that we are responsible for. Balloons and plastic bags represent a significant danger to turtles, and their use should be severely limited (we can talk about how I think they should both be outlawed over drinks sometime).
- Be aware of sea turtle nesting areas and avoid nesting and hatching turtles. Put down your selfie stick and leave the turtles alone! And never, ever touch a turtle unless you are instructed to do so by an organization you are volunteering with. I mean it. Resist the urge. Don’t touch any wildlife.
- Reduce the amount of chemicals you use. These chemicals find their way into the cenotes and, eventually, to the sea.
- Volunteer! Everything from turtle release programs to beach clean ups can have a positive impact on the survival rate of turtles.
Our team hopes to volunteer this turtle nesting season. As soon as I have details of the where and when I will share with all of you. We would love for you to join us! In the meantime, I will continue to say no thank you to plastic bags and make other small changes in my life that have a significant impact on the life of sea turtles.
