Mexico’s Congress seek to amend law on mangroves
Cancun, Q. Roo. | Monday February 18, 2013
Adriana Rods / correspondent | The Universal
16:56
The president of the Tourism Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, Rodolfo
Dorador announced that the modification of Article 60 in Law TER General
Wildlife (LGVS), which protects mangroves in Mexico, at the request of
employers, who argue that along with the Mexican Official Standard 059 which
reclassified the mangrove category, inhibit the development of tourism and
investment.
“Let’s just get to 60 TER squarely to stop being an impediment and entrepreneurs
can build in the mangroves,” he said in the context of the meeting between
representatives of the country’s leading business organizations and members of
the committees of Tourism of the House of Representatives and Senators, local
legislators and members of the Legislative Council of Tourism (Conletur).
During the first day of formal activities XI National Tourism Forum, held in
Cancun, the president of the Mexican Resort Development Association (AMDETUR)
Romárico Arroyo Marroquin, was referred to the time when the legal framework
allowed removing mangroves, offsetting the extent to reforest mangroves
elsewhere (via mitigation).
development and use in wetland areas, namely, mangrove. This proposed amendment
will alter this article.
“This is a single paragraph, probably the most adverse for tourism, as it
hampers the activity,” he said, adding that the wording of 60 TER is
ambiguous and leaves room for discretion.
The businessman said there was no scientific evidence to support the emergence
of the article that protects mangroves, although worldwide there is ample
scientific studies realize its importance and its environmental, economic,
social and security for coastal dwellers, asked not to misunderstand the request
to make changes to the controversial articles.
“That is not going to cause problems,” he said.
Taking the floor, the chairman of the Tourism Commission of the Chamber of
Deputies, Rodolfo Dorador, read the request from various business organizations,
which asked the Legislature to do an “passionate analysis.”
He acknowledged that he would personally review and promote the eventual
amendment of Article cited for entrepreneurs “so they can get into the
mangrove zones to build” because the current regulatory framework is
affecting tourism development in the country because of the “ban” on the
use of these same zones “mangle.”
The senator, Felix Gonzalez Canto, spoke in favor of the promotion of change
and stressed that “in no way seeks to remove protection from the mangroves”
or “harm the environment”, but mainly to “improve” the corresponding
legal framework.
Gonzalez Canto, governor of Quintana Roo, led a group of governors in issuing a
nationwide call for change in the law back in in February 2007 to ask the then
President, Felipe Calderon, to veto the adoption of reforms that led to 60TER;
however, the same day the article came into force and was published in the
Official Journal of the Federation.