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Tourism contributes to groundwater pollution, but quantifying its exact impact is challenging due to the presence of multiple pollution sources. However, the COVID-19 pandemic presented a unique opportunity to conduct a natural experiment and assess the influence of tourism on groundwater pollution. One such tourist destination is the Riviera Maya in Quintana Roo, Mexico (specifically Cancun). Here, water contamination occurs due to the addition of sunscreen and antibiotics during aquatic activities like swimming, as well as from sewage. In this study, water samples were collected during the pandemic and when tourists returned to the region. Samples were taken from sinkholes (cenotes), beaches, and wells then tested using liquid chromatography for antibiotics and active ingredients found in sunscreens. The data revealed that contamination levels from specific sunscreens and antibiotics persisted even when tourists were absent, indicating that local residents significantly contribute to groundwater pollution. However, upon the return of tourists, the diversity of sunscreen and antibiotics found increased, suggesting that tourists bring along various compounds from their home regions. During the initial stages of the pandemic, antibiotic concentrations were highest, primarily due to local residents incorrectly using antibiotics to combat COVID-19. Additionally, the research found that tourist sites had the greatest contribution to groundwater pollution, with sunscreen concentration increasing. Furthermore, installation of a wastewater treatment plant decreased overall groundwater pollution. These findings enhance our understanding of the pollution contributed by tourists in relation to other pollution sources.
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Seaweed Invasion! Temporal Changes in Beach Conditions Lead to Increasing Cenote Usage and Contamination in the Riviera Maya
Since 2011, tourism to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula has been heavily impacted by large masses of sargassum seaweed washing up on the beaches, with the largest seaweed event occurring in 2019. Seaweed deters beach tourism, potentially shifting tourism inland towards other activities such as swimming in cenotes (sinkholes). Our mixed methods study combined data from surveys of visitors to the region, interviews with tourists and tour operators, thematic analysis of newspaper articles, laws and policies and analysis of water samples from a cenote to understand the environmental impact on cenotes of this shifting tourism industry. We identified intentional efforts by the tourism industry to encourage cenote tourism in response to the seaweed problem, and our survey and interview data confirmed that tourists are choosing to visit cenotes in lieu of beaches. Water samples from one tourist cenote in 2019 indicated increased pollution relative to previous years. Current regulations and management of tourist cenotes are weak, creating the potential for significant long term harm to the environment and to the water sovereignty of surrounding communities. Regulation of cenotes should be strengthened to protect these fragile karst ecosystems and to give local and indigenous residents a formal voice in the management process.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1560045
- PAR ID:
- 10289785
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Sustainability
- Volume:
- 12
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 2071-1050
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 2474
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062474
