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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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WOW!!!! So glad to have stumbled upon Cozumel Insider and found Sherri and PalMar Small Beach Club. Personable, responsive, tailored, every whim satisfied- from drinks to beach chairs, to the best guacamole ever made, to wonderful conversation with Sherri and staff. This service is simply not found at larger tourist beaches and clubs. We are now loyal guests and will return and return and return. Sherri's story is most intriguing and it was entertaining and awe-inspiring to hear her tell it. Our only regret is that our RC cruise ship was departing and we had to head back to port much sooner than we wanted to. Martin- you are AWESOME! thanks for the photos you emailed and all the coordination leading up to our very short visit. We know you didn't have to do that- but it matters and have made us fans for life. Love you guys! John and Sarah ~ Pennsylvania, USA
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(12/03/2018) - By chance had the entire place to ourselves. Staff made us feel like family, gave us good snorkel tips. The area in which you can snorkel is extensive, pleasantly surprised. Great place to escape the typical Cozumel tourist type stuff. A. Olarte - Google Maps Review ~ Unknown
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We had a great time. The folks we brought were extremely pleased as well. I think you may have a couple more customers in the future. R. & W. Jennings - March 2016 ~ Marlin, TX USA
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Our family of four had several hours at Cozumel as part of our Carnival cruise. We wanted a place to snorkel and enjoy the oceanfront, but without the crowds. After our planned morning excursion, we caught a taxi to Palmar and only a few minutes drive from the cruise port. We expected some people to be there, given the cruise traffic, but it was only us and an older couple. My kids immediately took advantage of the pool, and we got a locker and were given snorkel gear and drink tickets (to turn in for beverages). The staff was courteous, friendly and helpful. It is a residence, but the house is on the back of the property, and the "clubhouse", pool, changing area and lockers are closer to the road. The cordoned off beach area is across the road and where we spent the majority of our time, sitting under the palm trees, enjoying the view mixed with some decent snorkeling (the location provides direct access to Chankanaab National Park, and snorkel boats were dropping off customers in the same areas you can swim out to from shore). We ordered ceviche (delicious!), and they brought it out to us, oceanfront. We all felt this was a great place to hang out away from the crowds of tourists, and it was a good value. Don't come expecting an Americanized sports bar playing loud English, and dozens of young people drinking as much as they can. You're not going to get that here. If you're looking for a quiet and peaceful oasis, this is a nice, convenient place to consider. Tim M. - July 2017 ~ Raleigh, NC USA
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(11/14/2018) - So this was our first trip ever to Cozumel and it was almost as good as advertised! We got to go in the off season so that made it nice also. Less traffic and less hectic. We took our taxi ride from the port to PalMar and expect to pay $10 for every 4 people in a taxi. Once we arrived it seemed very quiet but then the party started. The guys who take care of you all came out and made us feel at home. The beers were cold, the mango daiquiris the ladies said were on point (fresh mangos) and the food, WOW! Chicken tacos and nachos wonderful, but the Ceviche!!! Holy moly the guacamole is to die for!! And don’t forget to ask for the HOT sauce! Snorkeling was amazing in this spot as we saw so many different species of fish. The water was clear and the perfect temp! I can’t emphasize enough how great the guys were who took care of us! The private beach area was just big enough to keep us happy and feeling safe! I recommend them and I will go back! J. & A. Alvarez ~ Oatmeal, TX USA
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