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Sian Ka’an Facts
- Largest protected area in the Mexican Caribbean (approximately 1.3 million acres)
- Established January 20th 1986 as part of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Unique for its geography and wetlands
- 23 known archeological sites (with relics dating up to 2,300 years old)
- 103 known mammal species
- 336 known bird species
- Nesting ground for many species of wading birds
- Annual rainfall between 44 and 48 inches
- Important nesting site for two endangered sea turtle species
- Believed to be inhabited in the Pre-Classic and Classic Periods in the chieftanships of Cohuah and Uaymil
- Currently home to over 2,000 inhabitants
The Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve was established
on the 20th of January 1986 by presidential decree (under
President Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado) and became part of
UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) program that same
year. In 1987 the reserve was declared a UNESCO World Heritage
Site. As part of the MAB program, Sian Ka’an faces the
greatest challenge of conservation: to find a way to integrate
human activities without compromising other forms of life
contained within its boundaries. Sian Ka’an is approximately
1.3 million acres in size and spans 120 kilometers from north
to south (comprising almost one third of the Caribbean coast
of Mexico). In 1994 an area of over 200,000 acres to the south
of the Reserve was named a Protected area of Flora and Fauna
of Uaymil, increasing the continuous area of protected land.
The reserve contains three large core zones where human activity
is limited by permission to scientific research. These areas,
known as the Zonas Nucleares of Muyil, Cayo Culebras, and
Uaymil, cover a total area of almost 700,000 acres. Low-impact
human activities and sustainable development occur in the
area of the reserve known as the buffer zone. The human population
is estimated at 2,000 inhabitants, the majority of which are
located in the coastal regions, especially in the fishing
villages of Punta Allen and Punta Herrero. Approximately one
percent of the land within the reserve is privately owned.
There are five entrances to the reserve, located at Pulticub,
Santa Teresa, Chumpón, Chunyaxché and Chac Mool.
Guards employed by the governmental SEMARNAP organization
are stationed at every entrance to enforce the Reserve regulations.
"Sian Ka’an" is translated from Mayan as "where the
sky is born" or "gift from the sky". The reserve is thought
to have been inhabited in the pre-Classic and Classic periods
as part of the chieftanships of Cohuah and Uaymil. There are
twenty-three known archeological sites inside the reserve.
Discoveries of human remains, ceramic pieces, and other artifacts
have been dated up to 2,300 years old. The northernmost section
of Sian Ka’an contains what is thought to be an ancient
trade route through lagoons and mangrove channels between
the cities of Tulum and Muyil. Parts of what is now the Reserve
were once areas of chicle production and trade through the
middle of the twentieth century, and the fishing industry
is still one of the most important economic activities of
the Reserve’s population. Common species include spiny
lobster (Palinurus espinosa) tarpon, grouper, permit,
nurse shark, hammerhead, black tipped shark, and snapper.
Tourism is a another source of income for fishermen in Sian
Ka’an, hired to run boat trips to see the reefs and
lagoon systems. Approximately 36,000 tourists entered the
reserve in the year 2000, and those numbers are expected to
increase significantly for the year 2001. There is a charge
of $ 4 USD as a fee entrance to the Reserve per person per
day. |
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