|
Sand Dunes - Amazing Structures Providing Shelter & Food |
|
Cozumel is known for its miles and miles of pristine beaches and coastal areas. And all along the island's shoreline there are sand dunes piled up behind these beautiful beaches. As visitors walk along the water's edge and dig their toes into the soft sand, few realize that the health and beauty of the beaches are heavily dependent on the sand dunes just behind them. As more and more research is done on coastal eco-systems, scientists are now beginning to make us fully aware of the critically important role that sand dunes play in our global, coastal eco-systems.
Sand dunes provide a wide range of habitats for a variety of unusual, interesting and adaptive plants that can cope with unstable habitats. Sand dunes form in relatively exposed locations. All over a dune, very specialized plants adapt to the accumulation of sand around them surviving the continual burial of their shoots by sending up very rapid vertical growth. With the help of these plant shoots, small mounds of vegetation and/or tide-washed debris can form and tend to enlarge as the wind-speed drops behind the mound, allowing blowing sand to fall out of the air stream and accumulate which constantly increases the size of a dune. The plants are physiologically adapted to withstand the problems of high salt contents in the air and soil. Sand dunes support a wide variety of colorful flowering plants, including a number of species of orchid.
On the inland side of dunes conditions are less severe, and typical grasslands develop containing a wide range of plant life. When enough humus has accumulated within the grassland sand, this more stabilized soil improves water retention and promotes further plant diversity development. Consequently, sand dune systems are excellent places for biodiversity, partly because they are not very productive for agriculture, and partly because these unstable and stable soil habitats are present in proximity to each other. Many dune areas are protected as nature reserves, and some are parts of larger conservation areas incorporating other coastal co-existing habitats like salt marshes, mud flats, grasslands, scrub and woodland.
All coastal dune ecosystems also support a population of animal species in addition to plant life. Since most animal life requires basic survival elements such as shelter, food and water, it stands to reason that species density in any one area would be dependent on their availability. Small birds, reptiles, crustaceans, and other coastal species commonly call the coastal dunes their home. As the dune system moves from the fore dunes toward the back dunes, with their increased vegetation, the ecosystem becomes more complex, supporting a larger amount of species. Sand dune systems are also very rich in invertebrates including butterflies, moths and burrowing bees and wasps.
The beach is a margin of sand in a dynamic ebb and flow controlled by tides, winds, currents and waves. The critical factor is the presence of a sufficiently large beach plain whose surface dries out between high tides. Off shore shallow sand banks release the initial energy from ocean swells as they break and send secondary waves with low residual energy gently up and down the beach. The dissipative beaches are wide, gently sloping, slow draining and quite firm underfoot because the fine sand particles fit close together. These beaches support a relatively high variety of burrowing organisms. Because of their shallow gradients, these beaches also act as traps for another group of organisms called diatoms. Diatoms survive between sand grains and provide the chief food for bi-valves and other filter feeders.
Recreation is a major land use on sand dune areas. Many dune systems are used extensively by tourists, mostly on foot but also for parking cars and in some cases for driving four-wheel-drive vehicles or motorcycles. Moderate pressure by pedestrians may cause little damage, however, excessive pedestrian use and vehicular use in particular, have caused unacceptable erosion on many dune sites.
Many dune systems also support one or more golf courses. Here much of the original vegetation may be retained in the rough, but the communities of the fairways, and particularly the greens and tees, are often severely modified by mowing, fertilizing and re-seeding. Sand dunes have also been affected in the past by housing developments, industrial development, and waste collection areas on or adjacent to them as well as sand extraction.
What can you do to help protect and conserve Cozumel's sand dunes? |
If you live part time or full time or vacation on the island:
Sign up & participate in ongoing beach cleanup efforts in Cozumel.
Keep your visits to the beaches "green" by not discarding trash. Leave the beach pristine. If you want to go beyond being an environmentally conscious visitor, there are a number of ways you can become proactive in the protection of our sand dunes. Pick up trash as you walk along the shore, and recycle or dispose of it properly. Encourage better behavior by other users; point out regulations and the reasons for them. Report any serious violation you see to the proper authorities.
If you must cross the dune, pick your way between the plants and avoid already-eroded trails and steep approaches. If there is more than one person, select spots where the dune is shallow and spread out; return to the beach by a different route.
Do not build fires on the beach. While dried driftwood makes great campfires, this and other natural debris washed up by the lake help trap sand, and are the only source of nutrients available for plant growth on the dunes. Also, beach campfires leave unsightly scars and pose a fire threat to surrounding vegetation in this dry habitat.
Do not ride all-terrain vehicles on the beach.
Do not disturb water birds, migrating shorebirds, and nesting shorebirds. They are extremely intolerant of visitors and are easily denied nesting habitat by the very presence of recreational beach/dune users.
If you are a golfer, encourage golf course management policies and practices that are sympathetic to the flora and fauna of sand dune systems.
Support legislation for sound management of the world's coastal areas with your government.
Maintaining sandunes is essentional for Cozumel's future.
Thank you for doing your part to protect and conserve Cozumel's sandunes.
|
Some Great Ways to Get Close to Nature!
|
|
|
Cozumel Butterfly Sanctuary Tour & PalMar Snorkel Beach Club |
Visit Cozumel's only Butterfly Sanctuary! Merged in 2018 with the Cozumel Butterflies & Botanical Gardens, see multitudes of colors, learn about butterfly habits and the miracle of metamorphosis. Take photos and then stay to enjoy snorkeling and the other ammenities of the PalMar Snorkel Beach Club. Great family fun & excellent value!
Starting at US $8.00!
|
|
Cozumel - Punta Sur Ecopark, Lighthouse & Snorkeling |
Cozumel's largest natural eco-park featuring a lighthouse to climb, Mayan ruins to see, coves to snorkel, a nautical museum, sea turtle nesting areas, a crocodile sanctuary, an enormous mangrove lagoon where spoonbill flamingos nest and white egrets go hunting daily along with a multitude of other animal species that call the park home. Experience Cozumel's wildlife up close and personal during this unique tour excursion activity!
US $125 Adults / US $115 Kids
|
|
PalMar Snorkel Beach Club & Patas y Alas Butterfly Sanctuary |
Bring your group and spend the day at our PalMar small, private beach facility and enjoy a day of snorkeling at Cozumel's premier beach entry snorkel spot! No crowds here and gates close daily with a maximum of 50 people on site! Plus Patas & Atlas Butterfly Sanctuary which, in 2018, merged with Cozumel Butterflies & Botanical Gardens is now included when open (seasonal)!
US $19 Adults / US $8 Kids - Includes FREE Drinks!
|
|
|
Thanks for hosting us. It was such a relaxing afternoon. Hope to get back in the future! L. Black - February 2016 ~ Grand Rapids, MI USA
|
Dear Sherri - I just wanted to tell you how much my friend and I enjoyed spending the day at Palmar when we were on a cruise last week. Juan and Enrique are 2 of the most gracious, polite, and accommodating gentlemen I have ever met. This was my second visit to Palmar and the first for my friend. She was overwhelmed by the hospitality, and we both enjoyed Enrique's tour and explanation of the butterflies. Thank you again for a wonderful day at Palmar. Sincerely, JG Joan Gourley ~ N/A
|
My family and I (my husband and two boys, ages 9 and 6) were on a Disney cruise last week. During our stop over in Cozumel we spent a few hours at PalMar Beach Club. I had booked it beforehand with lots of help from Martin. I followed his instructions and arrived at PalMar without any trouble at all, for a $10 taxi fair. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate with us, with it being a drizzly, cloudy, windy day. We had planned on snorkeling but the water was too rough. We relaxed by the pool and had some delicious snacks and drinks. It was very quiet and definitely away from the congested tourist areas and cruise crowd. The staff at PalMar were very, very friendly. The beach area was very nice and looked like it would have been a fantastic place to spend a nice sunny day. I would recommend this location to anyone looking to spend a quiet relaxing day in Cozumel. If we are back in the area we will visit again. Thank you for your hospitality! The McDonald Family-April 2015 ~ Crowes Mills, Nova Scotia, CAN
|
(02/17/2019) - Found this spot on the web: actually the garden of a villa with pool, snack facility, private beach, lockers and possibility to rent snorkel gear. Normal entrance fee starts at $14. As it was too windy to snorkel, we were invited to relax at their premises for free and we were the only ones. Super relaxing. Cold drinks, nice people to chat with, delicious nachos and on top of that we met Sherri, the owner of the villa and moderator of www.cozumelinsider.com with a lot of info about Cozumel, where to stay, etc. Sherri and staff, thanks for the great day from your friends from the Netherlands. TripAdvisor Review ~ Netherlands
|
We visited the beach club as part of the perks of staying at the IslaMar Villas as it is owned by the same person. I have to say what a wonderful experience. If you want to get away from the tourist beach clubs this is your place. The day we visited we had the beach area to ourselves ~ perfect snorkeling right of the beach. If the ocean isn't for you there is a large pool to use a few steps away along with change rooms and a bar. Staff were great ~ bringing our food and drinks we ordered over to us on the beach! Out visit got cut short due to weather but would definitely return again on our next trip to Cozumel. G. & J. - November 2015 ~ Elmira, Ontario Canada
|
|
|
|
|