Activists Propose Underground River Reserve for Maya Train Area

Mexico City — Seven years after the start of construction of the Maya Train and two years after its partial inauguration, activists have denounced that the company of the Secretariat of National Defense, responsible for the project, has disregarded judicial suspensions.

They also lamented that despite the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), Alicia Bárcena, recognizing environmental damage, the information was classified until 2030.

However, activists acknowledge that, unlike the previous administration, the government of President Claudia Sheinbaum has demonstrated willingness and disposition to work with civil society organizations to mitigate environmental impacts.

Gemma Santana, founder and activist of the group Sélvame del Tren, said that “it is very unfortunate that there have been suspensions and they have not been complied with in all sections, not just in Section 5.”

“The problem is not just the train, which has already made the scar in the jungle from Section 5 to Section 7, but the developments that are occurring around it, which is what is most worrying, because they are quickly destroying the jungle and therefore also contaminating underground rivers and cenotes,” she denounced.

She revealed that her organization proposed to Semarnat the creation of a large reserve of underground rivers and cenotes in Quintana Roo to prevent the growth of urban sprawl or tourist infrastructure, and to protect nature.

She detailed that the total area to be protected is still under analysis, but she trusts that the federal government will make the official announcement and publish the decree in 2026.

She advanced that the reserve, which would be in Section 5, between Cancún and Tulum, would serve to prevent the growth of the cities of Playa del Carmen and Tulum, and of that entire area toward the jungle, and thus preserve the green sea and prevent the fragmentation of the ecosystem of jaguars and other species.

“Right now we are in a war, we are constantly notifying the Secretariat of Environment and Profepa that they are opening roads or that there are ecocides. And we have closed them, we are helping with that, but we are in the reactive part and we have a proposal that we delivered to the government to create the first natural reserve of underground rivers and cenotes and separate any development around the train. That is, that they no longer allow constructions or anything, but that they truly conserve the little that we can conserve of jungle, air and clean water, pure water or virgin water, as the Maya call it.”

She referred to the tourism developed in Quintana Roo destinations as “predatory” and warned that we do not realize that we live from the nature that is there. Gemma Santana reported that Sélvame del Tren is conducting a study of more than 100 cenotes to verify water quality and that will help accelerate the reserve process.

“Because if constructions around are not prevented, it is practically a very negative impact on water issues for the peninsula, to degrees we cannot imagine.”

She said that in the construction of the Maya Train, many human and nature rights have been violated, “which are actually also human rights.”

“We have stopped several ecocides around the train, we have notified Profepa because we are voluntary vigilantes of Profepa. We have notified when roads are being opened and we send that information because we are monitoring voluntarily, I repeat, like the road to Tulum and the road to Puerta al Mar, which we also stopped from continuing construction.”

“There is willingness in this government, at least openness to dialogue, unlike the previous administration. However, they have the Army on top of them and one of the most emblematic projects of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. So, what we are trying to do is minimize the damages with them or rather avoid more damages by getting this reserve approved. And yes, there is collaboration, we had never been as close to the previous administration as we are today, with the authorities to help them report these ecocides and these irregular clearings that are happening.”