Cancun, Quintana Roo.-In the 1990’s the Melia hotel group bought 3 of the 5 lots at Xcacel however, after the public outcry, Melia donated the land to the University of Quintana Roo. Now (2009) two different Mexican developers have bought the lots overlapping the Northern and Southern limits of Xcacel. Clearly, if a resort is built on either of these lots it will have a devastating impact on Xcacel! The lot that is located on the northern end of Xcacel was sold to the Punta Carey Business Trust.

 

Punta Carey Business Trust wants to build a development at Xcacel that would affect the adjoining sea turtle sanctuary, because the project does not have any beach access except the protected beaches inside the sanctuary, and wetlands.  The environmental organizations Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambienta (Cemda), Grupo Cologista del Mayab (GEMA), Teyeliz, MOCE Yax Cuxtal, Defencers of Wildlife, Centro Ecologico Akumal and Greepeace Mexico have denounced the project and asked that the Secretaria de Medio Ambierte y Recursos Naturales (Semarnat) deny permission for the project. 

 

X’Cacel-X’cacelito turtle sanctuary (1) is the main beach in the Mexican Caribbean where green and loggerhead sea turtles nest, both of which are in danger of extinction. Xcacel is recognized as an important wetland by the Ramsar Convention. Xcacel is also known for having a high diversity of flora and fauna. For example, Kuka palm (an endemic specie), as well as the chit palm, black and black mangroves are found at Xcacel and all of which as protected by Mexican environmental laws.

 

“This project does not guarantee the protection of the turtle sanctuary due to the fact that does not take in consideration that it is adjoining the turtle sanctuary. There is not in any part of the developers’ environmental impact study (EIS) that makes any reference to the impact that will be done by more than 400 tourists at the resort, plus the employees, the discharge of 124 thousand liters of waste water that the resort will generate and the lights that will affect the turtles, etc.” said Juan Carlos Cantu, Director of the program Defenders of Wildlife

 

The developers plan on digging channels in the mangrove and building islands where cabins will be built. “The creation of the channels will affect the hydrologic flow of the mangrove; clearly a violation to the Article 60 of the General Wild Life Law and contravenes what is indicated in the decree that established X’cacel-X’cacelito as a protected natural area. (2).  Also there is manipulation and false information about the land location, density and the destruction of the vegetation, therefore Semarnat has to deny the license according to the General Ecological Equilibrium and Environmental Protection Law” declared Alejandra Serrano, a Cemda represetantive.

 

The Punta Carey Business Trust is a company established on December 5, 2007 with the solo purpose of buying and developing the land at X’cacel-X’Cacelito next to the Marine Turtle Sanctuary - they do not have any experience in sustainable projects.

 

“X’Cacel-X’Cacelito has also a very important social importance as this is the lone place in all of northern Quintana Roo where local people carry out environmental education programs as well as scientific investigation. It is also the only place where many local families can spend a day enjoying beach, cenotes, and tropical rain forest safely and without the fear that a hotel guard will ask them to leave” said Araceli Dominguez, president of GEMA.

 

The project includes the construction of 30 apartments, 104 hotel rooms, club house, beach services, security control access office and roads on 26.05 hectares that will be located on the northern boundary of the marine turtle sanctuary. 

 

 “Being such a fragile zone, the development, even if it was a low impact one, will disturb the ecologic environment of this area, hence unbalancing all the biologic and hydrologic process.  Previously, other projects have been rejected and this should not be the exception, that is why we demand that Semarnat should not authorize Punta Carey, that they leave this area free for the citizens of Quintana Roo and to respect the endangered species and the turtle sanctuary” declared Alejandro Olivera Greenpeace coordinator of oceans and coasts.

 

More information can be found at http://xcacel.org/ .  There is also a link to sign a letter to the Mexican President and cc other Mexican authorities who are involved in this issue. To sign the letter click on “Firma Aquí” scroll down and inset your name in the space “Nombre completo” and fill in your email address in “Correo electrónico” and then click “Enviar Email” (Send Email). Gracias (Thanks)!!!!

 

Notes:

1.- Official Mexican Normative NOM-059-ECOL-2001, Species-environmental protection of Mexican native wild flora and fauna-Risk categories and specifications for its inclusion, exclusion or change- List of species in risk.

2.- Tenth Article of “Decrete that declares Natural Protected Area the region called as Xcacel-Xcacelito, with the category of Zone that is Subject to Ecological Conservation, Marine Turtle Sanctuary, in Municipio de Solidaridad, Quinta Roo”, published in the Official Government Newspaper on February 31, 1998, that mentions that this project is not allowed.