Environmental Group Considers Lawsuit Over Tajamar Wetland Events in Cancun

Cancun, Quintana Roo — An environmental organization is considering filing a civil lawsuit against the Benito Juarez municipal government and other authorities over the handling of the Tajamar wetland, where mass events have caused evident environmental damage.

Katerine Ender Cordova, legal representative for the group “Movimiento Social en Pro de los Derechos del Pueblo,” said a court order requires all three levels of government to rehabilitate the wetland to reverse damage caused, putting these entities in contempt.

The activist revealed that the municipal government and the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) secretly signed an agreement with the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, committing to restore Tajamar in exchange for environmental groups allowing use of the space for construction of the Nichupte Bridge.

The agreement deadline is September of this year. To date, no improvements have been made at Tajamar, and environmental impact continues through mass events organized by the municipality.

“It’s evident that the municipality’s intention is to cause environmental impact,” Ender Cordova accused. “Since they haven’t been able to advance development of the place, they want to impact it.”

Tajamar, as a wetland, serves as a nesting site for many migratory birds, as well as mammals and reptiles. Assessments confirm the existence of 70 to 100 species, including foxes, crocodiles, and snakes.

Mass events generate high noise and light levels that scare away animals attempting to nest in the area, while bringing heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic to an environment supposedly under protection.

“Since 2018, when Tajamar was opened to cars, there’s been no presence of the blue crab,” the environmentalist commented.

She criticized that all this has been brought to the municipality’s attention, but they ignore it, interested only in raising money through vendor stalls.

In response, the group will send a document to the federal government detailing the damage caused and the contempt incurred. Based on the response, they will consider filing a lawsuit to enforce the signed agreements.