Help Rebuild the Gulf of Mexico Barrier Reef

Dear Supporter, 

In order to contribute to reduce pollution, threats to the local fauna and to collect data on the composition of the marine debris that washes up on Pez Maya beach, a weekly cleanup is carried out by volunteers and staff. In the last three months of 2014, a total of 452 kg of rubbish was collected, adding up to a total of 2.3 tons of rubbish removed from the beach during the year.

The beach cleans take place on a weekly basis and 9 zones of 150 meters length each are monitored. The first zone starts in the mangrove mouth and the last one finishes at the southern point of Pez Maya beach.

Volunteers and staff members pick up all the debris that they find from the tide line to the vegetation line, this to avoid including waste created by terrestrial sources. All the debris is separated in 4 categories: Non-recyclable, Glass, Plastic bottles and Plastic bottle caps. After collecting it, the debris is weighted and the information is entered into the data base.A total of 452.75 kilograms of trash was removed from the beach, cutlery being the most abundant item (1846 pieces).  

It was a very successful year in which the team managed to clean more trash from the Pez Maya shoreline. Effective documentation and monitoring activities to assess the types and amounts of marine debris can help in the global reduction and abatement of the marine debris problem. Raising awareness about this problem is vital to encourage people to have environmentally friendly practices. 

Thank you for continuing to support this program.

All the best

GVI Mexico

Links:

• http://www.gvi.org