Kentucky Warbler Photo by Jim Rathert, Missouri Department of Conservation.

Purpose

The Central Hardwoods Joint Venture has joined forces with the new Yucatan Peninsula Alliance for Birds (AAPY) to develop a proposal to protect approximately 111,000 acres (45,000 hectares) of bird habitat in the northeastern Yucatan.

Over 540 bird species occur on the peninsula, of which more than 200 are neotropical migrants. By one estimate, 600 million to 1.5 billion birds pass through or stay on the peninsula in their flight from North America to the Neotropics. Fifteen bird species are priority species for both the CHJV and the AAPY, including the Blue-winged, Worm-eating and Kentucky Warblers, the Louisiana Waterthrush and the Wood Thrush.

Both resident and migratory birds depend on forests that are squarely in the path of tourism-related development, which is spreading rapidly out from the resort community of Cancun. During the last 5 years, for example, US$2.5 billion have been invested in tourism development projects, many with golf courses and marinas, in the state of Quintana Roo alone. Such land use modifications have the potential to do away with the majority of natural habitat in the northeastern portion of the peninsula. In addition, pollution from agriculture and diminished water availability and quality are beginning to negatively affect the quality of life in the region.

For migratory bird species, habitat destruction in the Yucatan can negate conservation efforts in the Central Hardwoods Bird Conservation Area. Therefore, the CHJV has worked with local conservation interests to help them work together to develop a long-term, regional conservation plan for migratory and resident bird species. As part of the effort to protect approximately 111,000 acres (45,000 hectares) of bird habitat, held publicly or privately, in the northeastern Yucatan Peninsula, the partners are now trying to establish:

1. the first land conservation trust in southern Mexico,
2. a land stewardship endowment,
3. a regional bird monitoring network in the Yucatan Peninsula,
4. a regional bird scientific data base,
5. a regional fire management plan, and
6. best management practices for cattle-raising within the region.

Site Description

The Yucatan Peninsula includes the States of Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatan. Its varied vegetation types include inundated savannas, palm forests, low tropical deciduous and semi-deciduous forests, medium tropical semi-evergreen forests, fresh and coastal wetlands, and secondary growth in various successional stages. Caverns and sinkholes contribute to a complex underground hydrology.

Many endangered species live in the Yucatan Peninsula including jaguar (Panthera onca) and two species of crocodile (Crocodylus acutus and C. moreletii). The northeastern portion of the peninsula is one of the high priority regions for the conservation of jaguars in Mexico. Similarly mangroves, coastal lagoons and sand banks constitute the prime reproductive habitat for the endangered American crocodile (C. acutus), and the freshwater of the region is home to Morelet´s crocodile (C. moreletii), where it nests in sink holes, ponds, and flooded savannas.

The Yucatan Peninsula consists of a mature karst system with high permeability and low hydraulic gradient. It is a natural water reserve. Tropical forests collect water that flows through a complex, little known, gigantic underground hydrological system. Underground water emerges on coastal wetlands where it transports nutrients to coral reefs (which also contribute to sustain the local economy through tourism and fishing), marine grasses, and feeding areas for sea turtles, manta rays, and whale sharks.

Along with rampant development, the peninsula suffers from a variety of environmental problems. The aquifer is officially considered overexploited. Forest fires burned about 741,316 acres between 1989 and 2007. The lack of sewage systems and water treatment plants, industrial effluents, leaching of landfills and the use of pesticide and fertilizers already have deemed the upper 15 m of the aquifer as not fit for human consumption.

Accomplishments

CHJV staff and board members worked with the AAPY on a detailed proposal that was presented to the executive committees associated with the North American Bird Conservation Initiative in both the U.S. and Mexico in August 2007, and NABCI partners are now trying to identify and develop sources of funding to implement the work.

Partners

The initial partners include:

Non-governmental Organizations:

• Amigos de Sian Ka’an (ASK)
• Niños y Crías (NyC)
• Pronatura Península Yucatán (PPY)
• The Nature Conservancy (TNC)

Private Sector:

• El Eden, a private reserve in Quintana Roo

Government:

• Center of Investigations and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV)
• Commission for Natural Protected Areas (CONANP)