Activists in Playa del Carmen Demand Resignation of Quintana Roo Environment Chief Over Alux 33 Approval

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Environmental activists in Playa del Carmen are demanding the resignation of Óscar Rébora Aguilera, the head of Quintana Roo’s Secretariat of Ecology and Environment (SEMA), accusing him of authorizing a condominium development on protected mangrove land in Puerto Morelos in violation of federal environmental rules.

Activists Cristóbal Carreón, Roger de la Mora and Liliana Flores filed a citizen petition on change.org calling for the official’s dismissal. They argue that SEMA’s duty is to guarantee the conservation of natural resources and to enforce environmental law, and that the green light given to the Alux 33 project contradicts that mandate and raises suspicions of corruption.

The activists said the authorization conflicts with NOM-022-SEMARNAT-2003, the federal standard that sets strict protections for mangroves and is intended to prevent their destruction. They are calling for transparency and for Rébora Aguilera’s removal.

Activists Warn of Damage Beyond Quintana Roo

“The defense of ecosystems must come before any real estate business,” Carreón said.

De la Mora said ecosystems in Quintana Roo are being destroyed with the complicity of the state’s environmental authorities, and suggested that mangroves are effectively being treated as though they carry a price tag.

Liliana Flores echoed the allegations of corruption, pointing to what she described as the official’s silence in the face of indiscriminate clearing of vegetation.

Carreón said the petition was filed over what he called a “betrayal of the mangrove.” On the Quintana Roo coast, he said, coastal ecosystems are not only invaluable natural heritage but also a vital shield against the effects of climate change.

Mangroves are widely recognized for their ability to protect coastlines, shelter biodiversity and capture carbon. The activists warned that the authorization of the Alux 33 condominium project in a mangrove area of Puerto Morelos has set off public alarm and cast doubt on the integrity of the state’s environment secretary.

They added that the fallout is not limited to Quintana Roo. Because mangroves are national heritage, their loss affects Mexico’s overall environmental resilience and the communities that depend on healthy coastlines, they said.

The group argued that the approval cannot be dismissed as a routine administrative step. In their view, it is a decision that runs counter to current environmental legislation and opens the door to the devastation of a coastal wetland.

They questioned how an authority charged with protecting ecosystems could endorse a project that directly threatens one, saying the case points to corruption and a lack of commitment to the public interest.