The stunning Caribbean coasts of the Riviera Maya have been spared heavy influxes of seaweed (sargassum) for the past couple of years, but the past few months have brought tons of it. While it does serve its environmental purpose, like providing a shelter for baby turtles and nutrients for other sea creatures, its appearance and odor are quite unattractive to humans looking for a beach vacation. While several methods, like floating barriers and boats that pick the seaweed up before it hits shore, have been implemented in the past years, a more coordinated effort between the government and private business are required.
Just recently, the Riviera Maya-Tulum Council was created to be proactive on the matter of sargassum. Representatives from local, state, and federal governments along with private businesses have already met to discuss and formulate plans to fund more initiatives which will hopefully prevent any significant impact upon the tourism industry that the region relies heavily upon.
While conditions along the coast change on a daily basis, the arrival of sargassum does bring to light some of the Yucatan Peninsula’s other natural beauties, like cenotes, lagoons (Bacalar), and beachfront destinations like Isla Mujeres, and Holbox that remain completely unaffected.
