Cozumel Jungle Cleared for Commercial Plaza

COZUMEL, Mexico — The company Muelles del Caribe SA de CV has validated a permit to clear virgin jungle on the island of Cozumel, Quintana Roo, to construct a commercial plaza that would connect to the Fourth Pier, despite the fact that the construction is currently under review by the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat).

While Semarnat analyzes the environmental impact of the Fourth Pier project, the company moved forward to exercise a clearing permit granted during the administration of former mayor Juanita Obdulia Alonso Marrufo to clear 1.1 hectares of trees and displace local wildlife species, including mammals and migratory birds.

The company Muelles del Caribe SA de CV obtained an "authorization for change of land use on forest land" to deforest virgin jungle and repurpose that space for urban exploitation under the category of "Medium-density tourist zone." The permit was granted during the administration of the Morenista Juanita Obdulia Alonso Marrufo, from 2021 to 2024.

The permitted land uses on the property will now be: residential tourist housing; tourist zone; small and medium commerce (with a maximum sales area of 4,500 m2); hotels; medium-density housing; parking lots; and recreational, cultural, and administrative uses.

A Commercial Plaza for the Fourth Pier

The authorized change of land use corresponds to the "California" property located on the island of Cozumel, Quintana Roo, on the extension of the Costera Sur highway, also known as the Chankanaab highway, currently without an official number. Its cadastral key is number: 4011800151.

As it is a commercial venture, the permit states that an area for truck parking and a loading and unloading area for products must be provided within the surface of the same lot. The use of public roads or user parking lots for this purpose is prohibited.

The land use change authorization bears stamps from the Representation Office of the Secretariat of Ecology and Environment of the State of Quintana Roo on official letter Nº 03/ARRN/1298/2022 and a received stamp from the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) dated September 21, 2022.

According to the authorization, of which Animal Político has a copy, the concessionaire Muelles del Caribe SA de CV has a period of one year to carry out the removal of forest vegetation, starting from its receipt, and it could be extended provided a request is made in accordance with articles 146, 147, and 148 of the Regulations of the General Law for Sustainable Forest Development.

Legal Challenge and Continued Deforestation

Members of the civil association Conservación, Investigación y Manejo Ambiental de Cozumel (CIMAC) filed a review appeal with Semarnat regarding the permits granted to Muelles del Caribe SA de CV for the construction of the Fourth Pier on June 12.

The request for a review appeal was approved on June 18, and on June 19, Semarnat made it public in a statement indicating that the agency would be reviewing the project regarding the environmental impact resolution issued on December 7, 2021.

The company Muelles del Caribe SA de CV communicated that it would temporarily suspend the construction of the Fourth Pier. However, days after the announcement, the clearing of jungle began on the property where it intends to create a commercial plaza, similar to the one it operates at the Punta Langosta pier in Cozumel.

Noemí Guadalupe Martín, a graduate in Natural Resource Management and president of the CIMAC civil association in Cozumel, denounced that Muelles del Caribe SA de CV began deforestation activities on a property. "The property is in front of the coastal zone located opposite the Fourth Pier and where they intend to build a bridge to pass from the coast to the property. It's the same as what they already have, which is a plaza on the island. The third pier is theirs, the Punta Langosta pier, where they have a bridge on the sea side," stated the president of the CIMAC association in an interview with Animal Político.

With aerial videos and photographs, CIMAC members documented the deforestation of the jungle on the property starting on September 1, where Muelles del Caribe SA de CV obtained the land use change authorization for a commercial venture.

"What they did was deforest almost completely, although we managed to intervene. They have a permit from the government of Juanita Alonso. They obtained a land use change permit for deforestation of the area. This permit expires at the end of September, and what they did was execute it," exposed Guadalupe Martín.

Despite their denunciations on social media about what was happening, even while Semarnat has been reviewing the permits granted to Muelles del Caribe SA de CV for two months, the company continued with a project that accompanies the Fourth Pier works.

"No matter how much we made it evident, nothing happened. They kept cutting down trees every day. So, I took it upon myself to communicate with the state government. Óscar Rébora [Secretary of Ecology and Environment of Quintana Roo] from the state government came to Cozumel and closed the site because [the company] did not have a permit for waste management," recounted Guadalupe.

Felled Trees and Displaced Wildlife

According to the resolution, the municipality of Cozumel authorized the change of land use on 1.1 hectares of forest land for the development of the project called "Muelle Cozumel, Cruise Terminal," located on the island of Cozumel, Quintana Roo, and promoted by Daniel Fidelio Peraza Marfil, legal representative of the company.

Forest vegetation outside the surface area authorized for change of land use on forest land may not be affected by related work and construction.

To deforest the jungle, the permit states that it had to be done by mechanical and manual means, without chemicals and fire. Furthermore, the removal of vegetation had to be carried out gradually to avoid long periods of exposed soil that promote erosion.

Although the palm chit (Thrinax radiata) was identified on the property as a plant species with a Threatened category under Official Mexican Standard NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010, the Cozumel city council granted permission for the removal and relocation of this plant species.

In contrast, to remove the wildlife that inhabited the property, the scaring away of individuals was authorized, although it also mentions a possible rescue or relocation, a situation that did not occur, according to activities documented by members of the CIMAC association.

The resolution states that all necessary actions must be implemented to avoid the hunting, capture, commercialization, and trafficking of wild fauna species, as well as the collection, commercialization, and trafficking of wild flora species found in the project area and adjacent areas.

The document states that the company must employ a Program for the rescue and relocation of fauna species. It must consider all species that may be found on the property, giving special emphasis to the boa (Boa constrictor), white-crowned pigeon (Patagioenas leucocephala), both threatened and non-endemic species. Additionally, special attention is requested for the Cozumel spiny lizard (Sceloporus cozumelae) in a protection category and endemic; and the least tern (Sterna antillarum) in a protection category and non-endemic.

Guadalupe Martín, president of CIMAC, stated that closing the property, as an action by Secretary Óscar Rébora, provides "a respite" to stop the logging that the company started "just because they can, because they have the construction permit for the Fourth Pier."

"Why cut down trees and virgin plants that are so important for oxygen, the environment, and the reef? Why, if they don't have a permit for the construction of the Fourth Pier, do they clear the area where they want to make their commercial center of shops, if the work is suspended? They applied their economic power and disregarded the life of the flora and fauna of Cozumel," said Martín.