CEA Centro Ecoligico Akumal

    CEA is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that conducts scientific investigations into the health of the regional environment and reports the findings in educational ways that touch the local Maya, the developers, the Akumal residents and visitors alike. Located in the heart of the Maya Riviera, CEA plays an important role in research, education and protection of the Sistema Arrecifal Mesoamericano, SAM. CEA's mission is to monitor the impact of development on the regional ecosystems and culture, to report findings and their significance to the public through education, and through education influence public policy. Our goal is to ensure responsible development and a sustainable future for all by saving The Great Mesoamerican Barrier Reef.
    
Kids Who Care
    We know that the future of Planet Earth is promising because there are so many kids who care. Earlier this year, CEA received three donations from children in the United States and another from a Mexican school group.
Using money from his allowance, gifts and odd jobs, eight-year-old Jesse Marley, from Oregon, has become a CEA Member, after he and his family traveled through the Yucatán Peninsula and stayed in Akumal. He is concerned about the future of the area and feels strongly about supporting our efforts. Jesse loves the sea turtles and the ocean at Akumal.
Environmental Education    
   We started this year off on the right foot, by taking kids from the Akumal school system into the jungle to raise their awareness of the importance of this ecosystem. The students are learning about the animals and plants in the Interpretative Nature Path at the Fundación Ecológica Bahía Príncipe, where they are expanding on what they learn at school.Reef Monitoring
The first volunteers’ phase of the redesigned program came to an end on February 9. After three months spent with us, they have acquired some solid knowledge on reef fish, coral, algae, invertebrates, target species identification, and monitoring techniques.
    In accordance with the MBRS Synoptic Program Methodology, three sites have been selected on the reefs off of Akumal which represents a sample of the location, according to different affecting factors such as anthropogenic impact, diseases and natural events.
A total of 35 dives have been conducted and 74 transect lines have been deployed.