Eco-Route to Palo Maria

Within the framework of the world wetlands day, celebrated on February 2, the general public in Puerto Vallarta was invited to attend the Eco-Route to Palo María. The main objective of this activity was to give an environmental education talk about wetlands as key ecosystems on the planet. This activity was attended by 25 people, including children, youth, and adults.

With all the necessary protection measures against the current coronavirus pandemic, we met at the entrance to the area, and I began to give the talk. We saw that wetlands are very important ecosystems and that they provide many ecosystem resources, firstly I defined what a wetland is and explained that they are an extension of marshes, swamps, or bogs covered with water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, stagnant or in circulation, sweet, brackish or salty, likewise we saw that a wetland is a changing ecosystem, as it can give rise to a new one or even dry up, that is why wetlands are neither marine nor terrestrial because due to their vegetation and conditions physics make them fall into both categories (Edward B. Barbier, 1997). After explaining the importance of wetlands in the carbon cycle, we saw how wetlands have the capacity to absorb 40% of the total atmospheric carbon dioxide and that this is emitted by the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and disappearance precisely of wetlands, and that as a consequence climate change arises that is  affecting so much right now, I explained that even though wetlands only represent 3% of the planet's territory, they can store 12 times more carbon dioxide than forests and that mangroves, for example, are carbon sinks and reduce the impact of hurricanes in coastal areas, likewise, all wetlands have the function of preventing floods, since they capture rainwater and disperse it, as well they conserve it and provide it in times of drought. We then saw the importance of these ecosystems and how diverse they are, as they are home to hundreds of species of insects, birds, and mammals, as well as abundant vegetation.Explain that the main causes of the disappearance of wetlands are the change in land use, for example filling them to turn them into pastures for agricultural use, the expansion of the urban area, and pollution (Flores Castro, 2015). This is why to contribute to its protection we must inform ourselves and know, but above all share what we have learned, and this is what we call Environmental Education, which is key to protecting the environment. I made a cordial invitation to continue joining this type of activity for the planet, "it is in our hands to make a positive change and create actions to stop the environmental problems that we are going through" comment. After this, I told them about Tunza Eco-Generation and its objective, I also invited them to apply to be part of the 26th Generation of Tunza Ambassadors, then I distributed the promotional products and they wrote some actions that they believe necessary to implement to protect our planet.

Continuous activity and another objective of this route are to promote physical activity, he went hiking for approximately 30 minutes to reach the Palo María waterfalls, on the way we could observe scarlet macaws, some insects, and different species of fish. We enjoyed immersing ourselves in the waterfall even though the water was freezing, after spending a pleasant time with nature we returned and cleaned the place, I also reminded them of the importance of correct handling of solid waste.

At the end of the day I was filled with great satisfaction and happiness when thinking about the volunteers who attended, it is clear to me that more and more we are interested in protecting the environment, it caused me a lot of emotion to see families in the activity with children and I think that this is very important and admirable, you should always encourage this type of action from an early age.

Cited Bibliography

ADDIN Mendeley Bibliography CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Edward B. Barbier, M. A. y D. K. (1997). Valoración económica de los humedales . Oficina de La Convención de Ramsar . https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/Ramsar-021-Es.pdf

Flores Castro, E. (2015). La importancia de los humedales.