Endemic fauna of Cozumel is highly endangered by invasive species

Endemic Cozumel flora and fauna have been undermined up to 70% for human activities as well as for the invasion of exotic species that arrive at the environment.

Experts in the matter have warned through a statement that species such as the pygmy raccoon ( Procyon pygmaeus ) the coati ( Nasua nelsoni ) and the collared peccary ( Pecari tajacu nanus ) and several rodents are some of the animals that are in danger .

The diminution of the presence of these creatures in their area of origin is due to factors such as in the increase of human presence , the change of floor use of natural areas to build hotels , as well as the arrival of other kinds of fauna like boas , turtles , and rats .

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One of the most concerning cases in the community is that of the Peromyscus leucopus cozumelae mouse , an emblem of the island and that has not been seen in decades although it used to be everywhere 50 years ago .

Researcher Ella Vázquez Domíngue

z, a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences , has stressed through a report that it was in the 1970s when the boa imperator began to be present in the area, which could be the reason of the limited presence of the mouse before mentioned.

Nonetheless, the expert has stressed that the boa cannot be eradicated from the island because it has been classified in the conservation category because its population is very limited on its natural continental distribution.

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Another animal whose case has been studied is that of the Japanese turtle in Cozumel . The Trachemys scripta elegans has entered the community after being bred in captivity but due to its aggressiveness, it competes for resources with other native turtles .

“Since it is a species of wide distribution, in contrast to the boa, there can be eradication programs to extract them from natural water bodies,” asserted the expert.

One of the measures that has allowed the preservation of some of the species native to the area was the creation of the Cozumel Jungles and Wetlands State Reservoir in 2001 that is home to nearly 40% of biodiversity in Quintana Roo.

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