Extra Security Helps to Protect Marietas Islands During the Holidays Jorge Jimenez - CVB of Riviera Nayarit
April 15, 2016

The orderliness visitors enjoyed during Holy Week and Easter in the Islas Marietas was kept thanks to the coordination between the private sector and the local authorities. The Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and the National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (Conanp, by its acronym in Spanish) worked together to set this special surveillance campaign in motion.

The Environmental Programs office of the Riviera Nayarit CVB presented tourism service providers with a campaign titled “Se Buscan Héroes” (Looking For Heroes), obtaining cash donations for more than MEX$92,000, as well as donations in kind for a total of approximately MEX$60,000, a budget that will be administered by Pronatura Noroeste and will help to support conservation efforts in the area, as well as pay for signage and collateral material for distribution.

The campaign included the participation of two park rangers from Conanp, two volunteers from the Peace Corps, two security guards from the Environmental Division of the Federal Attorney’s Office (Profepa, by its Spanish acronym), four Marines from the Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR), two paramedics from the Red Cross and one support staff in the interior of Playa Escondida.

“We want to highlight the coordination between the private sector and the local authorities,” said Marc Murphy, Managing Director of the Riviera Nayarit CVB. “This interest will allow for follow-ups and support for surveillance activities and any equipment needed in the Islas Marietas so tourism continues to be an activity that brings benefits and not problems.”

For this operation the tourism service providers also provided a boat that aided with the logistics at the destination and helped ensure the compliance of the rules and regulations for the National Park.

Semar and Profepa inspected the boarding areas in order to streamline the surveillance efforts, thus providing visitors with added security.

All these efforts support a better compliance with the National Park rules and regulations, which is focused on protecting the coral reefs from damage by anchors and bad tourism activity practices, as well as protecting nesting areas and, of course, preventing visitor accidents.

The businesses that donated for the “Se Buscan Héroes” campaign by Paralelo 28 included: Bahía Alegre, Chica Locca, Sea Mi Amor, the Corral del Risco Co-Op Association, Vallarta Adventures and Yates de Pesca Deportiva.

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