Asociacion de Vecinos de Akumal Norte A.C. - Sargassum barrier survey results

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Sargassum barrier survey results

Sargassum Barrier Survey Results

July 17, 2023

Introduction

Invitations to complete an online survey of attitudes about the Half Moon Bay sargassum barrier were emailed to 165 Vecinos members on July 6, 2023.

The survey was open from July 6 to July 14, 2023.
Responses were anonymous, but completing the survey required logging into the Vecinos website to ensure eligibility and prevent duplicates.
The survey measures perception, not reality. Results depend on both the circumstances that existed at the time the survey was fielded (e.g., the southern section of the barrier was not functioning) and the truthfulness of responses.

Vecinos is neutral on the barrier and intends to remain so. The survey was launched as a community service to help neighbors understand how other neighbors think. Our hope is that these results will illuminate some of the factors that underlie disagreements and lead to a productive dialog on these important issues that helps the community come together. We invite you to discuss the barrier, the survey, and related issues on the Community Forums area of the Vecinos website by clicking here.

Who responded to the survey?

There were 76 completed surveys submitted.

Responses were received from 46% of all eligible owners and 58% of owners who opened the first announcement email.
The sample has a good balance of owners of various types: donors and non-donors, renters and non-renters, various property types and locations, and the amount of time owners spend in Akumal each year.
The proportions of apartamentos vs. casas, renters vs. non-renters, and donors vs. non-donors are roughly (but not exactly) aligned with what Vecinos believes to be the overall proportions.

Overall results

As expected, there are sharp differences of opinion within the community about the barrier.

Those strongly or somewhat in favor of the barrier (30 respondents - 40%) and those strongly or somewhat opposed (32 respondents - 42%) are about equal in number. But 18% are not sure, so there is no clear majority.
More owners think that the barrier is ineffective against sargassum than effective, and more think it’s preventing turtles from nesting than not, but there are fewer extreme views and more respondents that are unsure about both its effectiveness against sargassum (32%) and its impact on turtles (30%) than are unsure about their overall opinion of the barrier (18%).
A 63% majority of respondents object to the extension of the barrier onto the headlands, either in absolute or if affected owners have not agreed. But if agreement from affected owners was in place, a 61% majority would support it. Please note that the test version of the headlands extension in place today is 100 meters, not 250 meters as was illustrated on the map the barrier committee published and was stated in the survey question as a result.
A 39% plurality of respondents want to see studies showing whether the barrier works and doesn't harm turtles before deciding how to proceed, compared to 29% who want it removed immediately and 32% who want it to remain in place and undergo continuous adjustment to make it as effective as possible.
With objective studies in place, community sentiment would become a consensus of greater than two to one, either in favor or opposed. Getting such studies done could therefore be a key part of the community finding a unifying path forward.

Attitudes toward the barrier by owner type

The robust mix of owner types in the sample makes it possible to dig into which types of owners oppose the barrier, support it, and are unsure.

Donating to the barrier indicates support for it in the past, which unsurprisingly ties to support today. Of the 30 respondents who reported being strongly or somewhat in favor of the barrier, 29 were donors. However, some donors are no longer supportive. Seven of the 36 donors (20%) now report that they are not sure whether they support the barrier (14%) or are somewhat opposed to it (6%).
Owners who rent to visitors, which often ties to living in Akumal less than 2 months a year, are the most supportive of the barrier, and owners who don’t rent to visitors, which usually ties to living in Akumal full-time, are most opposed.
Owning property on the bay is tied somewhat to support, but not as strongly as renting.

Summary

The community is split on attitudes about the barrier, but opinions may shift in the future because most owners are uncertain or hold moderate opinions about whether the barrier is effective against sargassum or safe for turtles.
The opinion split is most dramatic between full-time residents who don’t rent, who are most opposed, and owners who rent and live in Akumal less than two months a year, who are most in favor.
Clear, objective studies that demonstrate the performance of the barrier against sargassum and its effect on turtles would result in a much clearer community consensus on the way forward.

Appendix: Detailed results and verbatim comments

Detailed results tables

Verbatim comments from respondent surveys

Full disclosure, I am on the committee and I am disappointed in how the Vecinos has handled this situation. This is an environmental disaster and it is unconscionable to stand by and do nothing while we ask the workers to work in an unsafe and toxic environment. I care about turtles and the environment, but I value human life above all. Just my humble opinion.

What has given these people (Sargassum Committee) the right to dictate to homeowners that they must pay dues for a badly designed, ineffective, and environmentally damaging barrier. They post misleading or incorrect data on their website, and cannot admit that they have made mistakes. They are the reason the barrier will never work.

Vecinos has not come up with any alternatives. The have thrown ideas and suggestions out but have not raised money or actively done anything. So to put this out is only to stir the pot and give false data about what the owners want. The majority of the Vecinos that I have spoken to are against the barrier. That isn’t a clear representation of all the owners on Half Moon Bay. So until there is a feasible alternative that the Vecinos can pay for and implement….this is pointless and only meant to be more divisive.

It is my understanding that incorrect assumptions were made during the planning phase of the barrier project regarding currents.

Additionally, I don’t believe that these barriers and their anchoring systems are made to withstand the strength of wind and wave action in open ocean. Especially during the spring and summer months (when we get most sargasso). From what I have seen, they work better in environments such as Akumal Bay, and even there sometimes they are ineffective given the wind/waves.

A substantial investment has been made, so removing it immediately I don’t believe is a viable option unless it is harming the environment.

Not sure! Waiting for results!

I saw the same barrier placed last year on Tulum Beach , and was removed just a few months after. It was proved to be useless.

We need to give the barrier a chance . At least 12-18 months before any judgment can be made

This is not only an eyesore (which affects quality of life and the experience of guests) but is also environmentally detrimental (see turtle nesting numbers as compared to historic averages and activity on other beaches)

My greatest concern is the turtles. I have not seen any maintenance and/or cleaning done to remove the sargassum from the barrier.

The barrier together with the erosion of the sand on beaches are probably contributing to the low turtle nest numbers. Making pathways in the sargasso at night might help the mamas be able to get on land. Maybe we can start an evening activity where we help make Channels?

The barrier is not preventing turtles from nesting. The huge piles of sargassum on the beaches are preventing the turtles from climbing over and through it to access the beach.

My opinion is that science will benefit the turtles more than emotions will. If the barrier is proven to not be effective against the sargassum,or seriously detrimental to nesting turtles or migrating baby turtles, then steps need to be taken to mitigate that.

The climate is changing and the sea temperature is rising. This is causing the sargassum to thrive when it previously did not. So in less than a decade we are seeing conditions that can be very detrimental to an animal that took millions of years to evolve within a very specific environment.

If we choose to do nothing we may unfortunately see the extinction of all the turtles that nest in Akumal.

It doesn't work. It can't work. It is a failure and a waste of money. It and the accompanying boat traffic have dissuaded many turtles from entering our bay and nesting. It is also falling apart. When other nearby beaches without barriers blocking their entrances are having a record year, we are substantially lower than expected. More importantly now, the nests we have are getting ready to hatch and the hatchlings will be unable to exit the bay without being eaten. The Sargassum Barrier Committee lied to everyone about hiring CEA to monitor the situation. They have lied about the consensus of the owners, about the financial obligations, and who knows what else. Rebranding it now as an "experiment" is an attempt to cover their failures and lies. It needs to go before the entire turtle season is lost. Watching frigates dive and eat the hatchlings still in the bay during the early morning hours will provide a horrific tourist "attraction".

Based on the amount of Sargassum on the beach and the fact that there is more today than a week ago, clearly it is not working effectively. This is not a problem of "legacy" sargassum.

It is too early to make a data driven assessment of impact on the Turtles, there have been some turtles that have made it to the beach, but no one knows how many did not make it to the beach. There is no data on baby turtles, as there have been none hatched. How many will be able to negotiate the barrier - either around it or under it?

As for the question on what should happen next with the barrier, the data has to be quickly gathered and analyzed. The people/organization analyzing the data should have the environmental credentials to be "experts" and not have any ties to existing Pro/Con groups so that when the report is delivered it can't be debated from a favoritism standpoint.

Comments on specific questions:

#3 - There are properties on the Northern Headlands, too.  Are they supposed to report that their property is located on the lagoon or on the headlands south of the bay?

#8 - The HMB Sargassum Project recently announced that a critically important section of the barrier had to be removed.  Because the replacement piece has not yet been installed, nobody should say (or expect) that the barrier is performing effectively today. If the survey question weren't so partisan, then barrier supporters would answer that it is definitely not functioning effectively today.  But a partisan question will get a partisan answer.  If survey results show many people responding that the barrier is definitely or probably effective today, I hope Vecinos will provide commentary on this result.

#9 - Again this seems like a very partisan question so will get partisan answers.  A non-partisan way to seek opinions on nesting would have been to ask peoples opinions on all the possible factors that might be impacting turtles nesting.  Barrier supporters would be more willing to share their opinion that the barrier might be impacting nesting stats if they were also able to share their opinion on other possible factors impacting nesting stats.

#10 - The numbers in this question are factually wrong

#11 - This question erroneously presents only two options of "Removing" or "Keeping" the barrier without mentioning other options of adding a jetty or moving the barrier further out to sea.

It is too soon to determine the effectiveness of the barrier and it should be modified as needed to maximize it's benefit. Manual removal is insufficient to keep up with the amount of sargassum that enters the bay. The bay has become essentially unusable, especially for owners on the south side of the bay. The mounds of sargassum probably have a more negative effect on turtle nesting than the barrier itself. Until the barrier is proven to not provide a reasonable deterant or is shown to have a significant negative ecological impact, it should be kept in place.

As for the turtles… we feel the piles of rotting sargasso is the main deterrent for them. They are unable to climb over it. Akumal bay has a barrier, and many many boats coming and going ….. clearly not affecting the turtles there

I do not believe we have given it enough time to really tell if it will help or not.

Rather biased questions.

This barrier if it works to the extent that we hope, is essential to the economic survival of Norrb Akumall.

Like it or not, our economy centers around one thing-tourism,, Uncontrolled sargasso means no tourists, which means no money, which means businesses close and the place becomes a sleepy, deteriorating little town.

It’s important to be concerned about turtle health, and barrier impact on this and that. But the impact of Norrh Akumal and the rest of Akumal shutting down should be a bigger concern.

It also has a negative impact on our view.

Despite assurances to the contrary, the barrier has definitely interfered with the nesting turtles. While the number of nests in the rest of Akumal is greater this year than last year, on Half Moon Bay the number is much less than last year. Also, the huge amount of sargassum on the beach and in the water belies their assurances that the barrier would reduce the amount of sargassum by 70% or more. It is a fiasco.

The community as a whole was never polled as to if they wanted it or not!

the way the proposed barrier was presented to community members was as a "fait acompli". Listed with the amount you should contribute. look at everyone that has contributed, don't you care rather the community lives or dies, how about the environment? This was a shaming proposal, meant to shame you if you did not contribute. I want a community vote taken.

We llve in the headlands north of the bay. We can see the barrier and it is not an attractive addition to our view. We have observed it every day. It does not seem to be working, but doing the opposite and keeping sargasso in the bay. It seems like HMB is one of the few places on the coast of QR with sargasso.

We already spent a fortune installing it. Let's give it a little time to see how it goes. So far, I've seen no difference in sargassum...

There are a couple of questions that my answer is partially between 2 choices. One is regarding to remove barrier immediately. I'd say I'd be willing to try it very short term since it is up. but I question if the studies are being done quickly, and honestly, not influenced by those who want the barrier and have spent $ on it.

I'm surprised the barrier was installed without a majority.  It should not be extended without a majority and the agreement of affected owners.

My personal opinion is that the area of bay where Sargasso collects heavily has not had good removal.  Often nothing is done and it was allowed to pile up.   I realize it is a difficult task and expensive but it really appeared for past several years that more should have been done in the affected area, (its an area which is heavily rented so there was income until more cancelled or were offered other options by Loco Gringo.  La Buena Vida is a business and it seemed little was done in that area and pile up was significant.  (i realize it accumulates more there)   La Lunita / Tortuga area was kept up better than most (is more towards north end so perhaps had less also)  I'd been told the owner came up with the spray to counteract the smell.   My understanding (from David and Dan back then) was that La Lunita's owner offered this spray solution to others but few took up the offer in the first few years.

Ricardo, thank you for all your work.   Much more than you anticipated.

I left the day b4 the park clean-up near Guardia  but will be coming down for most of August after the first week.

I am in favor of the barrier. We have to try to do something to reduce the Sargassum in the bay. Give them a chance to make some changes to the barrier to see if is effective. I own a condo in Half Moon Bay and really do love Akumal. If something cannot be done with the Sargassum I will sell the condo and go elsewhere. Akumal is beautiful, but not with the Sargassum.

I think we need to give the barrier a chance....right now I am only in Akumal 2+ months, but plan to be residing in Akumal closer to 6 months in coming years. Covid has delayed my original plans. I have been coming to Akumal since 1987 & my sister also has a property here. I love Akumal and Half Moon Bay. I think we need to give the barrier time with adjustments to perform better, we've paid the purchase price - monthly maintenance is minimal if we all support it....and I dont think it is affecting the turtles arriving to nest, actually I believe the huge amounts of sargassum arriving since 2010, (with amounts growing year to year) I believe have affected the turtles nesting, not the barrier. Not to mention the damage the sargassum does to our shoreline and beaches and amounts that settle in the bay waters ...let alone the health of workers cleaning, the fumes/stench and lack of guests/ tourists/owners during the spring and summer season for locals who rely on on them or us owners for their family income. Resorts all along the Riviera Maya have barriers that work or mitigate the amounts arriving and still have turtles nesting along their beaches...and tourists arriving to enjoy this beautiful area. And apparently the Tulum airport is ahead of schedule opening this December 2023 bumped from April 2024....not to mention the operation of the Mayan Train. We need to help restore Akumals beauty on its Beach's.

As an aside I will be paying my 2023 dues this fall....and I'm impressed with the new look and mission statement of the Vecinos. (But will always love Dan ; )

Owners affected by barrier and want it should pay

From day one the barrier group has given us nothing but smoke and mirrors and flat out lies. The barrier does not do what they've been saying it was going to do. Enough is enough!

Based on swimming along the HMB and main beach barriers, they do not seem to be collecting much seaweed, and unless it is removed frequently the seaweed likely will get through it. So, a plan and basis for frequency of maintenance seems key.

Also, seems to me that a barrier or other means to mitigate impacts to Yalku lagoon should also be a higher priority and would likely be more feasible and much less costly.

I have not been in Akumal since january 2023. I can't tell if the barrier works or if the barrier cause damage to turtles.

Mis respuestas acerca de algunas preguntas no son exactas pues no están como opcion.

We have pinned high hopes on the barrier and truly hope it works. The seaweed invasion without the barrier will hinder tourists from coming and the costs for removing the seaweed are enormous. So far it has not been working due to a break. We were under the impression that this barrier was state of the art and that the health and movement of the turtles had been carefully taken into consideration in the design. We hope for it to succeed.

I think we should all work together to clean up the sargassum that lands on our beaches. This WILL work.

We would like the barrier removed if it impacts the southern owners whose properties are in the headlands.

It would be great to see year over year pictures and some numbers on the effect it is having on turtles and nests.