The habitation area of the Maya is a mosaic of environments, climates, flora and fauna. A series of geological faults runs through the region and frequent earthquakes in the past have changed the face of the landscape. From windswept meadows on the upper slopes of volcanoes more than 4,000-meters-high, to lowland plains covered with a dense mantle of jungle on the Costa Maya.


For almost 100 million years, the America's developed in isolation, leading to the evolution of endemic life forms; different to those found in neighboring regions. It was also a land bridge between North and South America, and, to this day, temperate and tropical plants and animals from both subcontinents are found in the area.

Botanists have identified around 8,000 species of flowering plants; 600 bird species, more than in all Europe; and approximately 1,200 kinds of butterflies.


In more recent times the increase of inhabitants has put a strain on the flora and fauna. For this reason the government has ordered an increasing amount of protected area's. At this moment approx. 25 % of Quintana Roo is official Protected Natural Area.

There are planned protection area's of approx. 2.31 % of which 117.600 Hectares on the Costa Maya.


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Ecological organisations:


Centro Ecologico Akumal
Paul Sanchez-Navarro, Director
Apartado Postal #2
Akumal, Quintana Roo
77730, Mexico
 
Phone / Fax: (984) 875-9095
Web: http://www.ceakumal.org