Ocean & Coastal Management 42 (1999) 1061}1068 Coral reef education in schools of Quintana Roo, Mexico R. RodrmH guez-MartmH nez!,*, L.M. OrtmH z" !Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologn&a, Universidad Nacional Auto& noma de Me& xico, Ap. Postal 1152, 77500 Cancu& n, Q. Roo, Mexico "Centro Ukana I Akumal A.C., Ap. Postal 2. 77760 Akumal, Q. Roo, Mexico Abstract Coral reefs are vital to the livelihood of coastal communities in Quintana Roo, MeH xico and the preservation of these ecosystems relies on the establishment of protected areas. Education should be one of the most important management tools in coral reef preservation. Surveys were made among primary and secondary school students of Quintana Roo to determine the level of education regarding coral reefs and their importance. Students had little awareness about reefs. Coverage of coral reef issues is insu$cient in school curricula and information media. Many students will leave school and become users of the reef with little understanding of it and of the consequences of exploitation of the reef. Creation of marine parks has not increased education and public awareness. There is an immediate need to establish appropriate and continuously available educational programs in order to preserve coral reefs. Education should encourage codes of behavior and community support to management issues. ( 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The State of Quintana Roo, located in the eastern side of the YucataH n peninsula, is the largest tourist destination in MeH xico with over four million visitors in 1997. In 1995, the population of Quintana Roo was 703,536 with 48% under 19-years-old [1]. Over half of the population resides in the northern sector of the state (located between * Corresponding author. Tel.: #1-987-100-09; fax: #1-987-101-38. E-mail address: [email protected] (R. RodrmHguez-MartmHnez) 0964-5691/00/$- see front matter ( 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 9 6 4 - 5 6 9 1 ( 9 9 ) 0 0 0 6 1 - 7 1062 R. Rodrn&guez-Martn&nez, L.M. Ortn&z / Ocean & Coastal Management 42 (1999) 1061}1068 Fig. 1. Location of the study sites. Tulum and CancuH n: approx. 100 km distance), with the majority inhabiting the coastal strip (Fig. 1) [1]. The success of this tourist resort in the last 30 years has been largely based on the powerful infrastructure of CancuH n, but also in the exploitation of coastal ecosystems, such as coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, coastal lagoons and beaches. Unfortunately, these ecosystems are coming under increasing pressure as a result of rapid coastal population growth, the continuous expansion of the tourist industry, and in the utilization of the natural resources by the tourist industry. Coral reefs in Quintana Roo face several threats, like pollution, over-"shing of commercial species (lobster, queen conch, "sh), risk of increased nutrient input due to the lack of sewage treatment plants, tourist-related activities, natural biological phenomena, like diseases and coral bleaching, and global climatic changes. Although protection of these reefs requires approaching all major stresses simultaneously, our ability to do it at present is insu$cient. Educating the public on the importance of coral reefs and showing them ways to protect them are possibly our best chances for the conservation of coral reefs. From March to November of 1997, an educational program was conducted in six coastal communities located along the northern and central areas of the State of Quintana Roo, MeH xico, where the reefs are vital for livelihood: CancuH n, Isla Mujeres, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, and Akumal (Fig. 1). A series of talks, accompanied by slide or "lm which shows about coral reef conservation, were given to students. The program had two purposes: (a) to educate the students about the values, functions, uses and fragility of coral reefs, and to increase their interest in coral reef conservation, with a special emphasis on the activities that cause deterioration of coral reefs; and (b) to conduct a rapid assessment of the awareness students had on coral reefs. Results were indicative of the lack of awareness students had about the R. Rodrn&guez-Martn&nez, L.M. Ortn&z / Ocean & Coastal Management 42 (1999) 1061}1068 1063 importance of coral reefs and document the urgent need to establish appropriate and continuously available educational programs. 2. Methods A questionnaire was administered by volunteer sta! to students prior to the talk. The questionnaire was divided into two parts. The "rst concerned personal data: age, school grade, type of school (public or private). The second section investigated respondents awareness of the coral reef; had they visited a reef, had they heard talks about coral reefs, had they watched a television program about coral reefs, and had they read about coral reef topics. The students were asked to raise their hand for a positive answer to each statement. This was followed by a 40 min lecture/slide presentation. A total of 191 talks were given in 46 schools to 6137 students whose ages ranged between 5 and 20 years (average "12.3 years). Surveys were done among 4341 students. 3. Results The survey showed that coral reef public education among students can be con- sidered as poor in most areas, only 47.8% of the students had visited a coral reef, 50.2% of them had heard talks, 25.5% had seen a television program related to this ecosystem, and 14.1% had read about coral reefs topics. When analyzing communities separately, drastic di!erences appeared (Table 1). The most dramatic case was found in the city of CancuH n, where only 14.1% of the students had visited a coral reef, and only 13.6% had heard talks about coral reefs. This situation is of great concern since CancuH n possesses almost 40% of the State's population and 39% of the subscribed students to elementary and secondary schools in the State [1], is the main tourist destination in the country [2], and is where some coral reefs (e.g. El GarrafoH n reef and the shallow areas of Punta Nizuc reef) show evident signs of deterioration, mainly from tourist activities. Results suggest that the di!erences among sites are mainly due to four factors: (a) demographic characteristics; (b) resource accessibility; (c) the time when educa- tional programs started in a particular area; and (d) the socioeconomic status of the students. The demographic characteristics of Quintana Roo contribute to the lack in aware- ness people have about reefs. Over 50% of the population in Quintana Roo are immigrants from other states of MeH xico; 60% of them having been residents for less than 10 years [1]. The Mexican society is primarily a land-based one and inland people have little or no cultural linkage with the sea. This situation is enhanced in CancuH n and Playa del Carmen, because that is where most of the immigrants settle, as they have better opportunities to "nd jobs. In Isla Mujeres, Puerto Morelos, and Cozumel, the majority of the population was born there and has a historic relationship with the sea. 1064 R. Rodrn&guez-Martn&nez, L.M. Ortn&z / Ocean & Coastal Management 42 (1999) 1061}1068 Table 1 Sources of information about coral reefs that were available to students prior to the 1997 talk in di!erent communities of Quintana Roo Site d of students Had been to Had heard Had read Watched TV surveyed a coral reef (%) talks (%) (%) programs (%) Akumal 402 68.9 *** CancuH n 1729 14.1 13.6 13.3 24.6 Cozumel 1549 77.6 100 ** Isla Mujeres 153 58.2 32 0 0 Puerto Morelos 383 41.8 30.3 23.5 42 Playa del Carmen 125 83.2 23.2 16.8 23.2 Total 4341 47.8 50.2 14.1 25.5 Accessibility to the resource is also an important factor. In Isla Mujeres, Puerto Morelos, and Akumal, coral reefs are close to the shoreline and easily accessible to the students. Also, in these places many of the students belong to families of "shermen and tourist guides, and coral reefs are common recreational areas and daily conversation topics. In Cozumel, although it is more di$cult for students to reach the reef, the Museum has a hall dedicated to coral-reef education, visited by most of the local schools. In CancuH n, however, a boat is needed to reach the majority of the reefs and as a result most students are not able to visit them. Students with greater awareness about coral reefs were from Cozumel and Akumal. In both places environmental educational programs have been in operation for several years, mainly by the Environmental Education Department of the Isla de Cozumel Museum and the Centro Ukana I Akumal, a non-governmental organiza- tion. In the four other communities, mainly environmental groups and the environ- mental education departments of two private tourist parks (Xcaret Eco-archeological Park and Xel-Ha), have made some isolated e!orts to raise awareness and education, but they have been occasional, due largely to the lack of funds and personnel, and have reached only a minority of the students. In CancuH n it was also evident that students who attend private schools have greater awareness about coral reefs than those who attend public schools (Table 2). The same situation possibly applies to other communities in Quintana Roo. For example, results indicate that Playa del Carmen has the higher number of students that had visited a coral reef (Table 1). However, this results are misleading because only one school was surveyed and it was a private school located in the wealthiest area of the city.