IiTurtles zaseLwandle zeYucatan Peninsula

NguBrad Nahill, umseki kunye noMlawuli we-SEEtheWild.org 

“Kusenokufuneka sihambe ngeendlela zokubona ufudo lwaselwandle,” ndaxelela intombi yam uKarina njengoko sasimi kunxweme lwaseX’cacel, olunye lolona lwandle lubalulekileyo lwaseMexico oluzalela ufudo, olukufuphi nePlaya del Carmen kwiPeninsula yaseYucatan.

Njengoko ithamsanqa linokuba nalo, sasidinga kuphela ukuhamba iinyawo ezingama-20 phambi kokuba kuvele imilo engqukuva kwi-surf. I ufudo oluluhlaza yavela ngqo phambi kwesikhululo sophando esiqhutywa ngu IiFlora, iZilwanyana kunye neCultura yaseMexico, umbutho wasekhaya ufudo lwaselwandle kunye neqabane KHANGELA ooFudo. Ukuze sinike ufudo indawo olwaluyidinga lokumba, sanyuka ngendlela, kodwa salandela ufudo. Noko ke, ekugqibeleni watshintsha ingqondo yakhe waza wabuyela emanzini engazalelanga.

Akuzange kufuneke silinde ixesha elide ngaphambi kokuba amanye amafudo aphume emanzini. Salinda de ifudo elikufutshane lalibeka amaqanda alo ukuze siphephe ukuliphazamisa kwindawo ebalulekileyo kwinkqubo yamandulo. Le yayiyenye ufudo oluluhlaza, olunobunzima obumalunga neekhilogram ezingama-200. Nangona ndisebenze ekulondolozweni kofudo lwaselwandle iminyaka engaphezu kweshumi, yayilufudo lokuqala intombi yam yalubona luzalela, kwaye yayingenwe sesi siko.

I-X'cacel ikwisiphelo sendlela emdaka engenazo iimpawu zokukhuthaza le oasis yendalo, enokuthi kwiMexico enobubele kubakhenkethi inokuba yinto entle. I-Turtles indlwane kuyo yonke indawo ukusuka eCancun ukuya eTulum kodwa le yenye yeendawo ezimbalwa apho ulwandle lungenazo iindawo zokuchithela iiholide ezinkulu. Izibane, izitulo zaselwandle, kunye nezihlwele zonke zinciphisa inani leemfudo eziza kwindlwane, ngoko ke ukunwebeka kwendalo okunje kubaluleke kakhulu ekugcineni ezi zirhubuluzi zinomdla zibuya.

UFlora, iFauna y Cultura ichithe iminyaka engama-30 ikhusela iindidi ezintathu zofudo lwaselwandle oluhlala kumanxweme ali-11 kulo mmandla. Olu fudo lujongene nezoyikiso ezininzi eziquka ukutya kwamaqanda kunye nenyama yazo kwaye apha - mhlawumbi ngaphezulu kunayo nayiphi na enye indawo emhlabeni - uphuhliso lokhenketho olukhulu lonxweme. Nangona ipaki yelizwe (eyaziwa ngokuba yi-Santuario de la Tortuga Marina Xcacel-Xcacelito), i-Xcacel iyaqhubeka ijongene nesongelo lokuba nolwandle lwayo olucocekileyo luphuhliswe kwiindawo zokungcebeleka ezinkulu.

Saya ngentsasa elandelayo eAkumal ekufutshane (ethetha “iNdawo yoFudo” ngesiMayan), enetheku elaziwa ngokutya amafudo aluhlaza. Safika kwangethuba sabetha izihlwele sanxiba iisnorkel zethu saphuma sikhangela oofudo. Kungekudala, inkosikazi yam yafumana ufudo lusidla engceni saza salubukela mgama. Iqokobhe layo elihle eliorenji, elimdaka, negolide lalicace ngakumbi kunelo besilibone kubusuku obungaphambili.

Saba yedwa kufudo oluluhlaza oluselula malunga nemizuzu eli-15 ngaphambi kokuba kungene amanye ama-snorkelers. Ufudo lwaluhamba kancinane ngakwingca yolwandle, ngamaxesha athile ludada phezu komhlaba ukuze luzalise imiphunga yalo ngaphambi kokuba luzike luphinde luzike luze lutshone ezantsi kwakhona. Uninzi lwabaqhubi be-snorkelers banika isilwanyana indawo eyaneleyo, nangona umntu omnye ekugqibeleni wagxotha ufudo ngokusondela kakhulu kwaye ezama ukululandela ngekhamera. Ivuyiswa ngamava, intombi yam yathi kamva ukubukela ufudo kwindawo yalo yendalo kwamnika ithemba ngekamva lolu hlobo.

Sathi sigqiba, babebaninzi abantu abangena emanzini. Emva kokuba siphumile, siye safumana ithuba lokuncokola noPaul Sanchez-Navarro, umlawuli ophakamileyo wezifundo. Centro Ecologico Akumal, iqela elikhusela amafudo emanzini nakwindlwane ekufutshane. Ucacisile ukuba inani elikhulu leentaka ze-snorkelers kwi-bay zinempembelelo enkulu kwiifudo ezitya ingca yolwandle, zibangela ukuba zitye kancinci kwaye zikhulise uxinzelelo. Iindaba ezimnandi zezokuba isicwangciso esitsha solawulo siza kubakho kungekudala ukuze sinyanzelise indlela iindwendwe kunye nabakhenkethi abaqhuba ngayo ngelixa bejikeleze ufudo.

Ngaloo ngokuhlwa, sasinga emazantsi eTulum. Yonke into yacotha njengoko sasicima uhola wendlela saza saqhuba imoto yethu erentayo phezu kweziqhushumbisi zesantya esithe rhoqo ecaleni kwendlela esinge eSian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. Kwihotele i-Nueva Vida de Ramiro, ihotele yendawo esebenza ukunciphisa indawo yayo yendalo ngelixa idala indawo ekhangayo, iindawo ezininzi zityalwe ngemithi yendalo. Indawo encinci ekuchithelwa kuyo iiholide ibamba abagadi abavela kwiFlora, Fauna y Cultura kunye nendawo yokuqandusela ukukhusela amaqanda abekwe ngofudo oluvela kolu lwandle.

Ngaloo ngokuhlwa, abagcini bofudo bankqonkqoza kumnyango wethu besazisa ukuba kukho ufudo olwaluzalela phambi kwehotele, omnye wabambalwa abacima izibane zabo ebusuku ngexesha lokuzalela nokususa ifanitshala elunxwemeni. Imilinganiselo enjalo yengqiqo iyimfuneko xa usabelana ngolwandle kunye nofudo baselwandle, kodwa ngelishwa, uninzi lweendawo ekuchithelwa kuzo iiholide ezigudle unxweme aziwathathi la manyathelo.

Olu fudo, nalo luluhlaza, lusingise kwindawo ekuqandusela kuyo indawo ekuchithelwa kuyo iiholide kodwa latshintsha ingqondo labuyela elwandle ngaphandle kokuzalela. Ngethamsanqa olunye ufudo lwavela kumgama omfutshane wokuhamba elunxwemeni, ngoko siye sakwazi ukubona yonke inkqubo yokuzalela ukusuka ekugrumbeni indlwane nokubeka amaqanda ukuyifihla kumarhamncwa. Umfazi wam, naye owayesisazi ngebhayoloji yofudo, wayencedisa umalusi ekulungiseni ufudo ngoxa ndandicacisa indlela yokuzalela isibini sabantu ababesiza ngoxa sasihamba elunxwemeni.

Endleleni ebuyayo, sabona isethi entsha yeengoma zofudo ezikhokelela kwisitulo esiselwandle phambi kwendawo yokuphumla ekhanyayo. Kwacaca ngokusuka ezindleleni ukuba ufudo lujike lungakhange luzalele xa luthe lwadibana nosihlalo- ubungqina obuninzi bokuba iindawo ekuchithelwa kuzo iiholide zithathe indawo yokuzingela ngokungekho mthethweni kolu lwandle njengesona soyikiso sikhulu sasekuhlaleni. Funda ngakumbi malunga nendlela uphuhliso lonxweme oluchaphazela ngayo ufudo lolwandle.

Ukhenketho lwethu kulwandle lweemfudo zale ndawo lwagqiba ngentlanganiso kunye nabahlobo bethu eFlora, iFauna y Cultura kunye neqela lolutsha lwaseMayan olujikeleza ulwandle oluhlala kufutshane neTulum National Park, kufutshane namabhodlo adumileyo. Olu lwandle yindawo ethandwa kakhulu yokuzingela amaqanda njengoko bembalwa abantu abahlala ngasemanzini. Yethu Iibhiliyoni zeeNtsana zoFudo inkqubo inceda ukuxhasa ngemali le nkqubo, ebonelela ngokuqeshwa kwaba bafana baselula ngelixa inceda ukukhusela ulwandle olubalulekileyo lokuzalela.

Ngethuba lotyelelo lwethu, sahamba kunye nabakhuseli bofudo ukuya elwandle. Ngoxa intombi yam yayizingcwabe entlabathini iinyawo zayo, aba bafana basixelela ngomsebenzi onzima owenziweyo ukugcina olu lwandle lukhuselekile kufudo. Bachitha ubusuku bonke elunxwemeni, behamba bekhangela amafudo aluhlaza kunye neehawskbill. Xa kuthi qheke ukusa, bayathathwa bagoduke ukuze baphumle baze baphile. Olu hlobo lokuzinikela yinto efunekayo ukugcina ufudo lubuyela kolu lwandle iminyaka emininzi ezayo.

UBrad ungumseki kunye nomlawuli we SEEtheWILD.org, iwebhusayithi yokuqala yehlabathi engenzi nzuzo yohambo lolondolozo. Usebenze ekulondolozweni kwe-turtle yolwandle, i-ecotourism, kunye nemfundo yokusingqongileyo iminyaka eyi-15 kunye nemibutho equka i-Ocean Conservancy, i-Rare, i-Asociacion ANAI (i-Costa Rica), kunye ne-Academy of Natural Sciences (Philadelphia). Uye wabonisana neenkampani ezininzi ze-ecotourism kunye nee-non-profits, ezibandakanya i-EcoTeach kunye ne-Costa Rican Adventures. Ubhale izahluko zeencwadi ezininzi, iiblogi, kunye nezishwankathelo malunga nokugcinwa kofudo kunye ne-ecotourism kwaye uye wabonisa kwiinkomfa ezinkulu zokuhamba kunye ne-symposia yofudo lolwandle. UBrad une-BS kwi-Economics yeNdalo evela kwiYunivesithi yasePenn State kwaye ufundisa iklasi nge-ecotourism kwiKholeji yoLuntu yaseMount Hood.