Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park

Coordinates: 20°17′37″N 87°01′29″W / 20.29361°N 87.02472°W / 20.29361; -87.02472
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park
Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources
Official nameParque Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel
Designated2 February 2005
Reference no.1449[2]

The Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park is off the coast of the island of Cozumel in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The Cozumel reef system is part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second largest coral reef system in the world.[3][4] Even though almost the entire island of Cozumel is surrounded by coral reefs, the park only encompasses the reefs on the south side of the island. It begins just south of the International Pier and continues down and around Punta Sur and up just a small portion of the east side of the island. The park contains both shallow and mesophotic coral reefs and extends to the 100 m depth isobar.[5]

This park is protected under the Ramsar Convention along with Manglares y Humedales del Norte de Isla Cozumel, they both are included in the UNESCO protected area called Isla Cozumel Biosphere Reserve, Mexico.[6]

Location

The park is located in the municipality of Cozumel in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is about 20 kilometers (12 mi) off the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean Sea.

History

On July 19, 1996, under the direction of president

Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León, Arrecifes de Cozumel was declared a National Marine Park.[1] The park size is 120 square kilometres (46 sq mi).[7]

Biodiversity

Coral reefs and marine life in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park
The Cozumel splendid toadfish

Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park is part of a diverse ecosystem of coral reefs that is home to more than 1,000 marine species.

queen triggerfish, and the endemic splendid toadfish.[8] Due to the abundant marine life and coral reefs the clear and warm Caribbean water, Cozumel is considered one of the best scuba-diving destinations in the world.[11]

It is also home to the

queen conch, and black coral
.

Attractions

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "CEMDA "Decretos, Arrecifes de Cozumel"" (in Spanish). Mexico. Archived from the original on 15 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  2. ^ "Parque Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  3. S2CID 43249461
    .
  4. S2CID 181668611
  5. PMID 30473832
    .
  6. ^ a b "Isla Cozumel Biosphere Reserve, Mexico". UNESCO. 15 November 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  7. ^ "Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park". protectedplanet.net.
  8. ^ a b "Parque Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel". The Ramsar Convention Secretariat. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Padilla, Claudia; Lara, Mario (2003). "Banco Chinchorro: The Last Shelter for Black Coral in the Mexican Caribbean". Bulletin of Marine Science. 73 (1): 197–202. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  10. PMID 30013832
    .
  11. ^ "Cozumel Island, Mexico". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
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