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Cancun Area Info Riviera Maya --> National Parks | National Parks around Cancun and the Mesoamerican Reef System |
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National Parks around Cancun and the Mesoamerican Reef SystemCOZUMEL REEF NATIONAL PARK The area was decreed a national park on July 19, 1996 in Cancun Quintana Roo. It covers 8,673 hectares (21.431 acres) of reefs that are part of the Mesoamerican Reef System. The estimated age of the base coral is 125,000 years and the reef consists of a chain of coral formations of varying sizes. The park protects a triangle of reefs off the west coast of Isla Mujeres, Punta Cancún and Punta Nizuc. ISLA CONTOY NATIONAL PARK The island, covering 5,126 sq. hectares (12.667 sq. acres) , was declared a National Park on February 2, 1998. The coral reefs within the park's perimeter -called an "ìslet"- are located south of the island and mark the beginning of a 389-kilometer (242 miles) barrier reef running along the coast of Quintana Roo. Isla Contoy is the birthplace of the Mesoamerican Reef System. PUERTO MORELOS REEF NATIONAL PARK The 9,066 square-hectare (22.402 sq. acres) Puerto Morelos Reef National Park was officially opened on February 2, 1998. The barrier reef of the Mesoamerican Reef System borders the Isla Mujeres West Coast, Punta Cancun and Punta Nizuc National Park. CHINCHORRO BANK BIOSPHERE RESERVE The Chinchorro Bank Biosphere Reserve was created on July 19, 1996. The country's best-preserved reef system covers 144,360 square hectares. A platform reef, it has the largest commercial population of pink conch and Caribbean lobster and is important for the fishing industry in Quintana Roo. It is also a sea turtle nesting ground and at least 93 bird species live in the area's mangroves. The reef in this part of the Mesoamerican Reef System is a fantastic spot for divers. It is also a magnet for scientists who study its biodiversity and underwater archaeological heritage (there are more than 20 shipwrecks here). SIAN KA-AN BIOSPHERE RESERVE Declared a United Nations World Heritage Site, the Sian Ka-an Biosphere Reserve was created on January 20, 1986 and the Uaymil Flora and Fauna Protected Area and the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reefs Reserve were annexed on November 23, 1994 and February 2, 1998, respectively. The three reserves cover an area of 650,000 square hectares in Quintana Roo. They incorporate areas of the principal ecosystems found in the Yucatán Peninsula and the Caribbean, where both Mesoamerican and Antillean species flourish. The barrier reef extends for some 120 kilometers (74.5 miles) and covers approximately 15,000 hectares (37.065 acres) in the Mesoamerican Reef System. YUM BALAM FLORA AND FAUNA PROTECTED AREA The Yum Balam Flora and Fauna Protected Area was created on June 5, 1994. It is located on the northern coast, in Lazaro Cardenas district in Quintana Roo and covers 154,052 square hectares in the Mesoamerican Reef System. More than 12 kinds of vegetation are found here. MANATEE SANCTUARY Created on October 24, 1996, the Manatee Sanctuary protects 281,320 square hectares of both land and water ecosystems. The largest population of Caribbean manatee (Trichechus manatus ), estimated between 150 and 200 individuals, has found a refuge here in the Mesoamerican Reef System of Quintana Roo. |
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