Uncovering Mexico
Jeremy Schwartz is the Mexico correspondent for Cox Newspapers. He is based in Mexico City.What's on this page?
The entry titled "Spectacular Sian Ka'an bioreserve continues to burn."
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Home > Uncovering Mexico > Archives > 2008 > September > 15 > Entry
Spectacular Sian Ka’an bioreserve continues to burn
The Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve in the Yucatecan jungle near Cancun has been burning for five days and it’s not clear when authorities will be able to put out the fire.
The fire, which was fueled by winds associated with Hurricane Ike, has ravaged nearly 10,000 acres of the World Heritage Site, which hosts about 500 bird and mammal species and is a nesting site for endangered sea turtles.
Reserve director Francisco Guerrero told the Efe wire service that fire crews may need to cut roads into the reserve to bring in heavy machinery, which would cause “extensive environmental damage.”
Sian Ka’an, which means “Where the sky is born” in Mayan, contains 23 archeological sites, some of which are more than 2,000 years old. It sounds like an amazing place. According to the bioreserve’s website, “the northernmost section of Sian Ka’an contains what is thought to be an ancient trade route through lagoons and mangrove channels between the cities of Tulum and Muyil.”
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By Jo Caulkett
October 3, 2008 3:25 AM | Link to this
Hi Jo. Just found this. Sounds pretty serious, but I can’t find any other post that discusses the damage or when the fire was put out. Perhaps it is worth putting a note on the bottom, and Sam could contact the Mexican tourist board to find out if tours are still going ahead for the time being?