Bacalar Locals Fight Protected Area Land Grab

Quintana Roo, Mexico — Ejidatarios and community organizations in southern Quintana Roo have raised alarms over a renewed effort by the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp) to establish a Protected Natural Area (ANP) in the Bacalar Lagoon. The move comes under the pretext of mitigating environmental damage caused by the construction of a rest house for the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) along the lagoon’s shoreline.

Concerns Over Displacement and Economic Impact

Roberto Salgado Sangri, president of the Bacalar Lagoon Basin Community Council, accused Conanp of replicating strategies previously employed in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, where he claims ejidatarios and Mayan communities were displaced from historically owned lands. According to Salgado, these actions favored the interests of the civil association Amigos de Sian Ka’an, backed by federal and state authorities.

Community leaders argue that they have independently implemented conservation strategies without federal intervention. Salgado noted that since 2016, Amigos de Sian Ka’an, funded by Conanp and supported by Mexico’s Green Ecologist Party (PVEM), has pushed for a Preliminary Justification Study to designate over 219,000 hectares—including Bacalar Lagoon, neighboring lagoons, and the Chetumal Bay coastline—as a protected area. The proposal was rejected by ejidal commissioners from at least 12 agrarian communities that would be affected.

Opposition to Federal Control

Ejidatarios assert that an ANP designation would transfer territorial control to private organizations, sidelining local authorities and stifling economic development. They warn that such measures could lead to increased poverty and crime by restricting investments.

Since 2017, local groups have opposed the ANP, emphasizing their own conservation efforts without formal decrees. They accuse environmental authorities of hindering sustainable development through excessive bureaucracy while permitting harmful activities such as deforestation in upland areas and the flow of pesticide-contaminated water.

Critics argue that the true causes of environmental degradation are being ignored, with blame instead placed on tourism and local landowners. They cite similar cases in Chetumal Bay, Sian Ka’an, and Yum Balam, where they claim local communities have been marginalized in favor of academics, politicians, and business interests.

The ongoing dispute highlights tensions between federal conservation policies and the rights of local inhabitants to manage their lands and livelihoods.