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Sand Dunes - Amazing Structures Providing Shelter & Food |
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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.
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Some Great Ways to Get Close to Nature!
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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!
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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
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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!
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We found this jewel of a place on our recent trip to Cozumel sailing on the Carnival Glory - such a beautiful estate type home with a large cement pool and beach access - we so enjoyed our day at Palmar. We also tried the chicken quesadillas, freshly made guacamole and pico de gallo with chips - delicious!!! I would highly recommend this stop on your next trip to Cozumel, especially if you want a relaxing day away from the crowd. We will plan to return! D. Bodenheimer - October 2015 ~ Denver, NC USA
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We spent a day @ your club while our ship was in port. What a wise choice ! The snorkeling was fantastic and your club was staffed by the warmest, kindest people that we met in Cozumel. Mauricio, Dn. Juan and your other staff made us feel comfortable and welcome . The food was delicious, the drinks great and the prices very reasonable. They almost sold us another stay right then and there. We will be back and have already posted our review on the web. Muchos Gracias ! V. Perry ~ Danbury, CT USA
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Awesome!!!! I felt so good even before visiting this place. They quickly replied to my emails with questions and concerns. People were so friendly, nice and very helpful. One of the guys even offered me to help to wash my child's sandy shoes which is of course not his duty! The food was very good. My kids with food allergies could enjoy grilled chickens. The salsa tasted very good and I liked the rich flavor of lime. The price is moderate which even included beach towels. My husband and my older boy enjoyed snorkeling a lot. Oh, I already miss there so much. The Murakoshi's - Dec. 2016 ~ Greenville, NC USA
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We arrived in Cozumel on the Harmony of the Seas. After 6 days on a crowded ship, we wanted peaceful surroundings. The lounge chairs are available at the beach and by the house, but need padding to make them comfortable. The tables and chairs worked better for us. The snorkeling was awesome in the crystal clear water. There were ships tours dropping divers and snorkelers just past the buoys. It's a great place for very little money. We each had 2 Dos XX's as part of our admission and purchased guacamole with chips. The guacamole was freshly made and delicious. If you are looking for a posh place, PalMar is not for you. For us, it was wonderful! J. Postar/T. Bork - Dec. 2016 ~ Boca Raton, FL USA
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Hi Sherri, I'm putting together our scrapbook from our vacation and wanted to thank you again for your hospitality at PalMar Estate Beach Club! We had a great time at your place in Cozumel. It was nice to have such a wonderful place to go while we were in a place that we had never been to before! I have been giving a lot of people at work your info since I know quite a few of them visit that area for vacations. Thanks so much! The Taylors ~ Portland, OR USA
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