On Tuesday, November 11, 2025, island residents, community members, and environmental supporters gathered at El Fogón for an information session about Living Shorelines, a new initiative focused on protecting San Pedro’s coast using natural methods. The event featured presentations by Lindsey Precht, Deputy Resilience Officer from Miami Beach; Gerardo Castañeda, Environmental Coordinator at Moon Palace Cancún; and Valentine Rosado, Project Lead for San Pedro’s Living Shorelines Program. The session introduced how nature-based solutions, like restoring dunes, mangroves, and coastal vegetation, can help strengthen the island’s beaches, protect homes and businesses, and preserve the environment for future generations.
The session served as an interactive platform to highlight coastal management strategies from regions facing similar environmental pressures. Precht shared Miami Beach’s decades-long journey toward resilience, describing the city’s use of dunes and layered natural defenses to combat sea level rise and storm surges. Castañeda presented Moon Palace Cancún’s innovative program to address coastal erosion and sargassum seaweed challenges through a science-based, operational approach to sustainability. 
Locally, Rosado outlined the natural history and ecological importance of Ambergris Caye’s beaches, stressing the need to restore their natural defenses through community collaboration. The discussion underscored an urgent shift away from traditional gray infrastructure toward “living shorelines” that integrate ecology and engineering to enhance long-term resilience.
The event followed growing concerns about visible erosion and other marine challenges affecting Belize’s coasts. Miami Beach’s evolution from early sand-placement projects in the 1960s to a comprehensive dune restoration and management system stood as a leading model. Moon Palace’s approach, deploying specialized machinery to remove sargassum while preserving fine sand, illustrated how applied science can protect coastal ecosystems in tourism-dependent regions. San Pedro’s own initiative, supported by Mayor Wally Nuñez, draws on these global examples while centering local traditions and community values. “What we are doing here builds on those same ideas but with our own local knowledge, our traditions, and our shared love for this coastline,” Rosado said, emphasizing that the project reflects both scientific and cultural stewardship.
Precht described Miami Beach’s enduring commitment to resilience despite climate threats. “We still aren’t ready to throw in the towel,” she remarked. “Our dunes provide significant protection and storm-surge defense. These natural barriers safeguard millions of dollars in property and sustain Florida’s valuable tourism industry.”
Castañeda echoed that sentiment, highlighting the balance between operational efficiency and ecological integrity. “We developed a one-of-a-kind program that not only manages challenges like sargassum and erosion but also restores and protects the shoreline for generations to come,” he said. Rosado credited Mayor Nuñez for his personal involvement in the project, noting that “his genuine commitment to learning from global examples ensures that San Pedro’s Living Shorelines project is grounded in proven strategies adapted to our local needs.”
San Pedro’s Living Shorelines Program aims to foster coastal restoration that reduces erosion, revitalizes habitats, and deepens community connection to the environment. Closing remarks invited residents to stay engaged, emphasizing collective responsibility: “Together, we can make sure our beach remains not just a place to visit, but a place that thrives, alive, protected, and truly ours.” The program anticipates gradual ecosystem recovery, stronger coastal defenses, and greater biodiversity along the shoreline. Its success will depend on sustained collaboration, local stewardship, and continued learning from regional models such as Miami Beach and Cancún.
The session officially launched San Pedro’s Living Shorelines initiative, a science-driven, community-supported effort to protect the island’s coast through nature-based solutions and shared environmental responsibility.
