Environmentalists Denounce Road and Gate Built in Cozumel Mangrove Tied to Royal Caribbean Project

Cozumel, Quintana Roo — Environmentalists have denounced the cutting of a road and the installation of a gate inside the mangrove at Playa Mía on the island of Cozumel, work they say is linked to the Royal Beach Club tourism project promoted by a Royal Caribbean subsidiary.

Activists said the interventions took place in an area of coastal vegetation and wetland. The project as proposed would cover 17.42 hectares, accommodate up to 4,000 visitors a day and include 2,000 lounge chairs and 24 palapa-style structures built on stilts over the water.

Concern also centers on the site itself: the complex would overlap in part with the Cozumel Reefs National Park. The National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp) issued a technical opinion calling the proposal unviable, citing potential damage to reefs, sea turtles, seagrass beds and mangroves, as well as the pressure it would place on the public beach.

That opinion is one step in the review process and does not by itself constitute a final ruling. The environmental impact statement remains under review by the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), which will decide whether to grant the permit.

In response to the reported construction, environmental organizations are preparing a complaint with the Federal Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection (Profepa) asking inspectors to visit the site and determine whether work began ahead of authorization or whether the ecosystem has already been damaged.

Activists also said they will work to organize local residents to defend free public access to the coastal zone.