Xel-Ha Blog

Quintana Roo’s underground water system, despite being the largest waterway network for its vast subterranean tributaries, is a system of severe fragility, whose water-basins must be protected in order to avert damage to its viability on medium and long terms, in the face of growing tourist industries and the implications this would have on Cancun and the Riviera Maya’s social and economical activities.

This is one of the most important subjects expounded on during the Threatened Spaces and Species in the Caribbean exhibition, on display at the UNAM’s Universum Science Museum, through the General Direction of Scientific Divulgation.

The hydrogeological study of Quintana Roo is encouraged by Xel-Ha since 2005, as part of its commitment to social responsibility, and with an interest in consolidating the company-academy binomial for sustainable management of the regions natural resources.

The project is part of a strategic alliance with the Water Network, a department of the Science Academy that allows investigators from the Geology and Geophysics departments of the UNAM to share ideas, alongside scholars from the Centre for Water Studies, of the Centre of Scientific Studies of Yucatan, A.C.

The study was based on the monitoring of underground water flux behaviour, from samples which began in the Xel-Ha Inlet and gradually spread throughout the region.

Currently, the largest underground river system in the world is thoroughly mapped, evidence which has proved that this is the most important water basin restoration zone on the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula.

The results have been shared with the government, academic institutions, and the private sector, all involved in the sustainable development of water basins in the region, and thanks to the depth of the study and its results, an agreement has been drafted for the creation of a hydrological reserve in Quintana Roo, in coordination with state government.

Another topic on display in the Threatened Species and Spaces in the Caribbean exhibition is that of the Queen Conch. This mollusc of great ecological, economical, social, and cultural importance is a gravely endangered specie due to its excessive exploitation.

Since 2002, Xel-Ha has supported the Centre of Investigation and Advanced Studies, of the National Polytechnical Institute, Merida campus, represented by Dr. Dalila Aldana, with both financial and operational resources for the study of this specie, in an effort to guarantee its protection and preservation.

In addition to this, Xel-Ha has endorsed the publishing of two books “El Caracol Strombus Gigas” (The Strombus gigas mollusc), and “La vida del Caracol Rosado”, (Life of the Queen Conch), allowing relevant aspects of the specie, as well as its current vulnerability, to be known. And in another project aimed at spreading knowledge, Xel-Ha offers permanent training programs for professors on the subject of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System.

Xel-Ha’s alliance with academia and investigation enhances its vision: to be a model company in sustainable recreational tourism and social responsibility.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 at 4:53 pm and is filed under News feature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.