From a scientific perspective, world records in this sport are a mystery. Currently, scientific evidence is sufficient to explain only part of these achievements.
Jaber Lara says he has a passion for freediving, but he uses the recognition that his sporting achievements bring him to speak about issues that seem urgent to him, such as the cruelty of captivity to marine mammals. There are 31 dolphinariums in Mexico alone, 18 of which are in Quintana Roo.
an additional passion
The sight of dolphins from the promenade of Ciudad del Carmen awakened his awareness of the environment and his desire to defend it. His aunt Cristina Jaber was also important. She had an environmental management department where she rehabilitated animals that were victims of the illegal wildlife trade, and her actions and ideas inspired Camila. The environment also contributed. The Yucatan Peninsula, particularly Quintana Roo, “has been in the international tourism spotlight in recent years, leading to excessive development.”
Some of the problems this has created are related to the fragility of the karst soil, which limits natural filtration and the reduction of pollutants entering the aquifer, a source of liquid for wildlife species and the most important water reserve in southeastern Mexico.
Pale corals: the first damage of ocean warming
In Mexico, Florida, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Belize and Panama, the scientific community is showing faded corals in the weeks when the seas have reported unprecedented temperature increases.
In a study of groundwater from wells and cenotes in the north of the Yucatan Peninsula and Quintana Roo conducted between 2019 and 2021, microplastics were identified in all samples. Other analyzes report the presence of Antibiotics and a few more show fecal coliform bacteria.
In particular, the Water Quality Observatory of the General Directorate of Ecology, which monitors around 60 cenotes in the state, indicates that a dozen of them have poor water quality. Camilla saw it. He used to go to the cenote, which was near his house, but now he is no longer able to enter it at some times of the year because the water quality is poor. “You can leave with an ear infection and that’s a reality in many cenotes in tourist areas.”
For this reason, and to identify other threats to these spaces, such as those potentially posed by the construction of the Mayan Train, Jaber is part of the #SOSCenote collective, which in turn is part of the #SOSCenote collective Southeastern Resistance Network for the Defense of Life and Territory, Utsil Kuxtal, which include groups from Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, some of which are affiliated with the National Council of Indigenous Peoples.
Camila Jaber specifies that the pollution of the cenotes, the deforestation of the jungle and the damage to reefs are part of the to-do list in the Southeast, “and it can get worse,” she specifies. “Soon there will be a move that will allow the exploitation and export of the resources of this region, which will entail the exploitation of labor. “They exploited the discourse about the ‘forgotten south’, but he is not forgotten, he just tried to achieve a different development than the center of the country.”
The Garra de Jaguar cave system lies beneath the route of stage 5 of the Mayan train.
Future Release/Getty Images
Camila realizes that her entry into these problems was the environmental protection of the region, but over time she realized that she is not just about taking care of nature or clean beaches, as she thought a few years ago. “The environmental struggle has many intersectionalities and now is the time to challenge other questions of privilege.” Now he specifies, sees and denounces the social and economic impacts of environmental threats and megaprojects. He also recognizes that there are different ways of doing things and learning new ways of doing things. Support and care for other problems with respect.