Amando Playa del Carmen, Loving Playa del Carmen

Quintana Roo - Mexican Caribbean has been the right example of over tourism, overexploiting natural and social resources, especially in the north of the state - i-e. Cancún-. And this trend to OVER-DEVELOPMENT, is “going south” and threats to end up with the uniqueness of Playa del Carmen.
When we think of Playa del Carmen, a medium sized city, with incredible natural capital of more than 5,880 BIG TREES (in the urban polygon) registered, more than 300 “cenotes”, more than 16 wild jaguars living in the surrounding jungle, more than 110 nationalities comprising the local population that have chosen this place to live, due to the unparalleled natural beauty and cultural mix, and see the current state of “threatening development”. But almost no one is aware that “Playa” as is called by locals, is also the POTENTIAL HOME OF A LARGE BIOLOGICAL CORRIDOR, as it is located in the heart of the second largest forest massif in America, only behind the Amazon Jungle Forest. We, as NGO - in coordination with Tourism ministry in the State, suggested being part of TOP100 Competition AS A TRIGGER TO FOSTER A NEW VISION - showcasing the good practices currently developed by civil society and local entrepreneurs, in order to INSPIRE others, bring together authorities and society to BE AWARE of the AMAZING NATURAL/CULTURAL/SOCIAL CAPITAL Playa del Carmen is by itself. But also, highlighting the RISK that it has right now if not reviewed, when there is still time to re-think the urban model, and make the decision to revaluate the NATURAL CAPITAL under the standards of sustainability, and the opportunity that could be lost to reach CONSCIOUS market and create LOCAL AWARENESS in PLAYA DEL CARMEN if natural/cultural/social capital is not preserved.