More than 1,000 hectares of coral reefs discovered in the Gulf of Mexico

The SEP announced the discovery of five coral reefs off the southwestern coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Secretariat of Public Education reported that the reefs "cover an area of more than 1,100 hectares.

The specialists ask for a legal protection scheme for these ecosystems against oil extraction and development projects.

The discovery includes the so-called Corazones coral, about five kilometers long by 700 meters wide, in front of the Tamiahua lagoon, near Tampico, Tamaulipas, and is considered the longest and northernmost to date.

"The researchers will apply to the Natural Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP) for their protection and the declaration of the new reef structures as protected areas," the report said.

By Mexicanist Source: SEP

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