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ABOUT US
Mission
Dedicated to the
conservation of the invaluable Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, CESiaK
promotes greater awareness of this unique area through education
programs and by modelling community-based, low-impact tourist
activities
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Project Overview
The
Centro Ecológico Sian Ka’an (CESiaK) is a non-governmental organization
(NGO) created in the spring of 1998.
Its goals match those of UNESCO’s “Man and the Biosphere”
program.
CESiaK
focuses on environmental education as a means to encourage local
understanding and support for the conservation of the Sian Ka'an Reserve.
Over 750 local students in our program learn hands-on about their
surrounding environment in addition to working on projects for its
conservation.
Our Ecological Center employs advanced
systems of alternative energy like solar arrays and wind generators.
It serves as an example of clean energy usage and information
source for those interested in such systems. Similarly, CESiaK’s
projects in residual water treatment and composting toilets also serve as
informative examples of environmental consciousness for the Caribbean coast.
Other
projects include seasonal
work with other authorized organizations on a sea turtle protection
project that monitors populations during summer nesting times. In
addition, there are two working native plant nurseries, one dedicated
exclusively to coastal dune species (unique in the area), both with the
goal of reforestation of native ecosystems. The internship program
is geared toward students and recent graduates in conservation related
fields from both Mexican and international universities who have an
interest in ongoing projects.
CESiaK’s
ecotours focus on appreciation for the natural environment and strive to
provide an informative introduction to the Reserve.
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History
of the Location
CESiaK
is located on a 15 acre ranch which is easily accessible at the
northern end of the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. In the mid 1970s,
prior to the designation of the Reserve, the ranch was the home of
an up-scale resort, complete with all of the creature comforts one
would expect of a destination near Cancun. However, due to a
financial recession within Mexico, the resort was abandoned in 1982,
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leaving the buildings open to
theft and decay. In 1986, this land and 1.3 million acres surrounding it
became the Sian Ka'an Bioshere Reserve, and in the following year was
declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nation's UNESCO program.
Built on the ruins of this resort, CESiaK was founded in Spring, 2000.
Sustainable Development
Revegetation
A primary component of CESiaK's mission is to
build and operate in an ecologically sustainable way, ultimately providing
a model for development in this and other sensitive tropical regions. We
are fortunate enough to be able to build our center and cabanas on the
physical ruins of the old resort, thereby eliminating the need to clear
vegetation for development purposes. In addition, we are committed to revegetating areas that were previously cleared or thinned in order to
foster the thriving diverse ecosystem that occurs here naturally. Housed
in our two small nurseries are the seed beds and saplings of native plants
including sea grape, chit palm, sea lavendar, coco plum, railroad vine,
moon vine, bay cedar, and geiger.
Sun, Rain, Wind
Coupled with revegetating the dune is our
commitment to ecologically sound operating systems. CESiaK runs completely
on the near endless supply of sun and wind.
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generated in 24
volts DC and then stored in a large battery bank. An inverter draws
power from the batteries upon demand and delivers 123 volts AC to
the outlets. A back-up gasoline generator is available in the rare
cases of a prolonged lack of sun or wind, and in cases of emergency.
We have developed wetland waste treatment
systems that recycle greywater and treat all blackwater. CESiaK uses a rainwater collection system for all
guest water needs,
other than drinking. This is particularly beneficial as the rain
that reaches us is some of the purest in the world. |
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Activities
Throughout the year, CESiaK caters to
tourists who are interested in experiencing the stunning beauty of this
tropical region, enjoying a comfortable stay at our beautiful accommodations,
learning about the diverse ecosystem of the Reserve, and
participating in its conservation. In addition to offering tours
of the Reserve and fly-fishing, we have
also developed robust education and
research programs as well as working on dune restoration and native
plant propagation. For recent activities see the CESiaK Newsletter.
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Message from the Director
There
exist many truly awe-inspiring places in the world that deserve
special protection against excessive development and potential
environmental destruction. The Reserve of Sian Ka'an is
certainly one of those places. Protection of unique
natural areas is difficult in the wealthy developed countries, but
there are issues unique to resource-poor developing countries that
complicate the management of such parks and reserves.
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Cameron Boyd, Director |
In
developing countries, protected areas that don't "pay" for
themselves simply will not be able to survive in the long
term. At CESiaK we are attempting to work for the long-term
protection of Sian Ka'an through experimenting with low-impact
community-based economic activities that demonstrate the viabilty of
protecting resources while simultaneously promoting conservation and
education programs. Please come see for yourself why Sian Ka'an has
inspired myself and so many others.
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