Viviana Esmeralda Chan Quinones
Biodiversity faces numerous threats from human activities that disturb and stress ecosystems, altering their ecological processes and leading to negative impacts. The Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, located in the Mexican state of Campeche in southern Mexico, was established in 1989 with restrictions allowing only responsible tourism and biological and archaeological research. This has ensured over 30 years of environmental protection without significant disturbances. However, the reserve now faces substantial impacts due to the construction of a hotel and a road in the heart of the reserve linked to the Tren Maya project, threatening decades of preservation of local flora and fauna.
Individual of Tapirus bairdii at a watering hole, observed during a field trip in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Campeche, Mexico. ©Carlos Delgado Martínez.
As part of the Selva Maya, the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve is crucial for the conservation of neotropical biodiversity and has been pivotal for studying wildlife dependent on water bodies. Thanks to previously collected data, we can assess how bird and mammal communities are being impacted by the infrastructure development. This analysis will help understand the new pressures on bird and mammal species that inhabit this region. The project aims to evaluate how this development affects these communities and assesses human carrying capacity through water bodies designated for tourism, aiming to mitigate environmental stress.
Jaguar (Panthera onca) posing in a sarteneja located in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Campeche, Mexico. ©Carlos Delgado Martínez.
Fieldwork will primarily involve data collection using camera traps. Additionally, the gathered material will be shared with the general public through our Facebook page, highlighting endangered bird and mammal species. A short documentary will also be produced, focusing on the immediate ecological and social consequences of infrastructure development within the reserve, to illustrate and inform stakeholders, including local and federal authorities, about the biodiversity implications of such projects.
Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (CBR). ©Carlos Delgado Martínez.
Header: Individual of Tapirus bairdii at a watering hole, observed during a field trip in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Campeche, Mexico. ©Carlos Delgado Martínez