The proposed expansion of the Revillagigedo marine park southwest of Mexico’s Pacific coast could be a financial boon to dive operators in the region.
The Mexican government announced the marine reserve expansion earlier this month in Malta at the Our Ocean Conference.
The area currently pulls in about US$15 million/12.8 million Euros per year from dive tourism.
According to a study by the Mexican National Commission of Protected Natural Areas, tourism dollars via divers watching Manta rays in their natural environment provide 57 times more to the national economy than fishing them.
The size of the proposed reserve — which previously only covered the four remote Revillagigedo Islands about 240 miles/386 km southwest of Mexico — will be more than 57,000 square miles/147,629 kilometers.
To learn more about the region, check out DeeperBlue.com’s “4 Reasons You Should Dive The Baja California, Mexico.”
