Mennonite Land Clearing: 2,500 Hectares Seized in Mexico

CHETUMAL, Mexico — The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) announced that as part of its operations in Quintana Roo, inspections of properties in José María Morelos, Bacalar, and the Bala’an K’aax Flora and Fauna Protection Area detected illegal changes in land use across 2,531.12 hectares, which have since been shut down.

As part of the effort to halt the destruction of the jungle, Profepa convened the formation of a Task Force to combat illegal logging and deforestation for the State of Quintana Roo. This coordinated effort involves environmental and security authorities from all three levels of government to stop the accelerated processes of illegal land use changes occurring in the state's jungles.

The federal agency added that a tractor with a fumigation pump was also seized during the operation carried out from June 15 to August 31, 2025. During this period, 17 inspection operations were conducted on forest properties in the states of Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán, with support from the National Guard, the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), and state security corporations.

“In addition to the closures, in all these cases we have opened administrative procedures and, to date, we have filed 13 criminal complaints. We are committed to working in coordination with institutions at all three levels to stop these illegal clearings and push forward until we obtain exemplary sanctions for those who raze the jungles and to establish processes for the restoration of native vegetation,” explained the federal attorney for environmental protection, Mariana Boy Tamborrell.

During these actions, clearings and unauthorized changes in land use were detected without permission from the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat). This led to the closure of 17 properties where the jungle was cleared for the planting of agro-industrial monocrops, primarily by Mennonite communities.

The results obtained were as follows: In the municipality of Hopelchén, in Campeche, two properties in the Xmaben and Francisco J. Mújica ejidos were closed, with damage to 247.85 hectares. Additionally, heavy crawler-type machinery was seized.

In Yucatán, in the municipality of Tekax, properties in the Nohalal, Emiliano Zapata, and Poccheil ejidos were closed, with damage to 968.62 hectares. Furthermore, a Caterpillar D8, a backhoe, a well drill, and three agricultural tractors were seized.

In total, 17 properties were closed with damage to 3,747.59 hectares of jungle: 247.85 in Campeche, 2,531.12 in Quintana Roo, and 968.62 in Yucatán.

From May to August of this year, Profepa has carried out 25 operations on the Yucatán Peninsula, resulting in the closure of properties that together total 6,325.60 hectares of affected jungle.