WiLD Blog

Hotel development continues to devastate ecosystems in Quintana Roo, reports the Mexican weekly Proceso. Authorities are enforcing environmental laws very weakly, granting permits for massive “megatourism” projects left and right with little consideration of the subsequent environmental impact. When they do force builders to comply, it is usually the result of pressure by nonprofits such as the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CMDA). For example, at least 50 percent of the projects that the group has leveled complaints of nonconformity against have been canceled or modified.

However, developers sometimes proceed without the necessary permits, as the profits expected from the project outweigh the fine for breaking the law. One of the most flagrant illegal acts came in 1997, when the Spain-based Riu consortium, with the support of the mayor of Cancún, built a hotel there without first submitting an Environmental Impact Statement, as required by law. The Attorney General for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) fined the consortium 3.5 million dollars for the violation.

Developers and politicians have also done an end-run around the urban development plans for Cancún, which originally included a four-storey height limit for buildings and a maximum of 16,000 hotel rooms. Today there are 30,000 rooms and buildings exceeding eleven stories.

In addition to the lack of enforcement of existing laws, there is currently an alarming proposal in the Senate to weaken them so as to permit hotel zone construction in mangrove areas. Sixty-five percent of this rich habitat has already been destroyed in Mexico. According to La Jornada, President Felipe Calderón directed legislators to get the proposal passed “by any means”.

The concept of sustainable tourism is not yet widespread in Mexico, says Marisol Venegas, who represented the country at the first Encuentro Internacional de Turismo Justo in Málaga, Spain in 2006. The vulnerability of the tourism industry, a crucial sector of the national economy, is often used as a pretext to justify all tourism development, no matter how ill-conceived and destructive.

A majority of the hotel firms in Quintana Roo are Spanish, and already have a history of environmental destruction in their own country. Patricio Martin of CMDA likens them to lobsters, moving on to fresh territory once their reckless development has despoiled the place they are currently doing business in. Some firms expect to see a profit from their investments in as little as five years thanks to cost-cutting measures such as not paying workers bonuses or utilities. (The industry norm is ten years.) At the prompting of one of the few developers who has been shut down by PROFEPA, the Spanish ambassador has even met with officials from the agency to try and persuade them to permit the blocked project.   

-Thomas Holder

Gray whales are being threatened again. Their yearly 12,500-mile migration brings them up and down the coast of North America, as they feed in the waters by Vancouver and Seattle during the summer and migrate down to breed in Baja California during the winter months. Scientists have discovered that the grey whales are arriving in their calving grounds thin and exhausted.

Scientists believe this is due to a lack of food for the whales when they are in their traditional feeding grounds. Consequently they are forced to look for food when they should be breeding.

The source of the problem is unknown but the consequences could be devastating. The gray whale is symbolic of Mexico’s natural heritage as Baja California is home to the world’s last undeveloped calving ground, San Ignacio lagoon. This problem has not only consequences for the future of the gray whale species but for the economic wellbeing of the tourism industry in both Baja and California.

Lack of food in their traditional feeding grounds is a serious threat to the survival of gray whales.

To WiLDCOAST, the grey whale has a special place in the organization. In our offices, on the walls are various articles relating the struggles and successes the grey whales have been through. WiLDCOAST has been heavily involved in the preservation of the coastal environment and protecting species such as the grey whale. The Baja California coast and lagoons are unique in being the last undeveloped calving sites of the gray whale. In addition the presence of the gray whale brings in tourists willing to spend money to see the whales. Not only do people enjoy whale watching in Baja California, but also in California, whale-watching tours are very popular during the winter months.

But economics are just a small part of the immense value these whales have to human beings. These whales are economically valuable to us for a deeper, intangible reason. It is impossible to put economic value on the sense of excitement and wonder when people spot these whales and the memories and impact they have on us. The beauty and excitement these whales bring to our lives reminds us that we are simply one part of the natural world, and that we also share the same world. Our actions can have consequences for these amazing animals that have been repeating their yearly migrations before humans even arrived on this continent. That is why it’s crucial to support conservation, ecotourism and conservation efforts to protect these whales.

-Calvin Lee

On the front page of the New York Times business section of May 20 is displayed a colorful mansion surrounded by trees as far as the eye can see. The title reads ‘Who Controls Paradise?’ The article outlines a development dilemma frontlined by the opposing ideals two major landholders in the state of Jalisco, Mexico.

Today there exists a 32,473 acre reserve in Jalisco which contains one of the most studied forests in the world. The reserve is named Chamela Cuixmala Biosphere and is on the Pacific Coast of mainland Mexico. The region is known for its unique forest wildlife due to the dynamic of a very dry season and a wet season.
The controversy in the region is that two resorts have been approved next to the Chamela Cuixmala ecological reserve. Recently the newly elected President has enacted a law to prohibit the destruction of coastal mangroves in an effort to protect wildlife. These resorts are supported by some of Mexico’s most powerful (wealthy) entrepreneurs who have invested in the land and claim that the resorts were approved before the new coastal protection law.

Developers have proposed two resorts near the Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere, federally protected land (Photo: NYT)

Another large landholder of 25,000 acres in and around the reserve is the Goldsmith family. They were instrumental in designating land for the protected area and propose to keep the region sparsely populated in order to protect wildlife. The area is a perfect site for a demonstration eco-lodge resort so that more developers in Mexico can use their model as an example of a profitable tourist attraction. There already exists successful eco-lodges in Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Chile, and Peru where visitors pay $200 to $300 per night and enjoy recreation in the natural surrounding area most often a protected land or marine park.
Some people have criticized the Goldsmith family saying that they are just interested in preserving their own investments in the region. In my opinion, OK, fine, the idea that someone will profit makes it an even better example for developers in the future. The fact that wildlife within a fragile ecosystem will be preserved is the most salient point of the matter. Mexico has been sucked dry in Cancun as well as Puerto Vallarta of natural coastal area due to its mass development of resorts. People pay for what they find in the U.S. with warmer weather and cheaper food. The land is devoid of natural landscape and animals.
At WiLDCOAST the Wildlands Program is aiming to protect as well as publicize the beauty of Baja California. As in Jalisco we hope to raise money to protect regions for wildlife and develop adjacent low-impact resorts where people can visit the reserve. Hiking, kayaking, surfing, and stargazing are all more enjoyable where there are less people and more to see.
As the world accepts global warming as fact rather then fiction, our population grows exponentially each year, and the environmental revolution grows stronger, less crowded, more natural, getaways will be more and more valuable.
Corina Marks