The project area is located within the RIA lagartos biosphere reserve, located in the northeastern portion of the yucatan peninsula in the municipality of tizimin, in the state of yucatn, near the…

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $1,057,210 Project Grant under the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.623) to Ducks Unlimited De Mexico, A.C. (DUMAC) on May 22, 2024. The funding supports DUMAC's efforts to comprehensively address the restoration needs of the Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, a priority site for waterfowl and shorebirds. Key activities include conducting hydrological studies to guide future restoration, restoring natural water flows and mangrove habitats, and engaging the local community of El Cuyo in the conservation and economic development plan for the area. This two-year project aims to strengthen the resilience of the coastal wetland ecosystem and support the diverse wildlife populations, including migratory birds, that rely on this critical habitat.

The project area is located within the RIA lagartos biosphere reserve, located in the northeastern portion of the yucatan peninsula in the municipality of tizimin, in the state of yucatn, near the community of EL cuyo. IT is a priority site for waterfowl and shorebirds according to national strategies, as well as for waterbirds. IT is a site recognized by unesco as a man and biosphere (MAB) site for its relationship with the communities a ramsar site and an IBA for being a biological corridor for migratory birds and aquatic and neotropical residents birds in the gulf of mexico. IT is a historically important site as a nesting, protection and breeding area for species such as the american flamingo and the crocodile, both considered species under protection according to the NOM-semarnat-059-2010. Regarding migratory species, IT is used by blue-winged teal, pintail, american wigeon and lesser scaup. As well as for shorebird species such as the american oystercatcher, the piping plover and red knot, among many others. The hydrology of the area was modified by the construction of an embankment-paved road from tizimin to EL cuyo, whose engineering design did not consider a full bridge or enough culverts, and by the reduction of freshwater contributions, due to the expansion of the ranching practices in the adjacent uplands. The road has increased the sedimentation in the coastal floodplain, interrupting and modifying the hydrodynamics of the area, affecting the natural productivity and increasing the salinity levels. Therefore, this project will begin with the activities that are necessary to comprehensively address the restoration needs of the area, which will allow strengthening the resilience of this ecosystem that sustains the biological diversity of the region. The complexity of the problems affecting this area makes IT necessary that, in order to achieve a comprehensive restoration process, we must have all the necessary technical-scientific information to understand how the hydrology of the coastal lagoon system works. These data will serve as baseline information to carry out different hydrological models of the entire estuarine system in this area. The information generated will serve to guide the restoration activities in next phases that will be submitted, to fully solve the degradation process and to restore the hydrology of the entire system. We need to start developing restoration activities to stop the loss of mangroves that is currently occurring in the area. This, through the restoration of the hydrological flows from the natural springs of hammocks and the desilting of natural channels, which will favor the running and distribution of fresh groundwater, which will be reflected in the reduction of interstitial salinity in an area of 1,692 has 4,179 acres. These activities will promote the natural establishment of mangrove propagules and seeds of submerged aquatic vegetation in the restoration area. The inhabitants of the town EL cuyo have seen a significant decline in the quality of habitat in the area, observing losses in the use of habitat by migratory and resident species. These effects have even extended to the loss of habitat for resident emblematic birds such as the american flamingo, which historically used this site as a nesting area for the largest colony in the caribbean. These changes have also affected the inhabitants of EL cuyo, since they depend on fishing and tourism. For this reason, we will implement workshops for the integration of a participatory development plan related to economic and conservation activities into the management plan of the reserve. Therefore, the implementation of restoration activities, besides benefiting the resilience of ecological processes, will allow additional economic alternatives for 2,000 inhabitants. The implementation of this proposal is necessary to begin the recovery process of this wetland on which the community of EL cuyo and many wildlife species depend on.