Mexico Halts Mennonite Deforestation in Quintana Roo

Bacalar, Mexico — The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) is monitoring approximately 14 Mennonite communities that have cleared thousands of hectares of land for agricultural activities, impacting aquifers such as the Bacalar lagoon, in an effort to halt the devastation in southern Quintana Roo.

According to Alonso Fernández Lemmen Meyer, the head of the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection in the state, the agency is working closely with federal authorities to prevent Mennonite colonies such as Salamanca, Nicolás Bravo, Laguna, El Bajío, San Fernando, El Paraíso, and Blanca Flor, among others, from further engaging in illegal logging activities, which is why they are now under scrutiny.

It is worth mentioning that the expansion of their agricultural fields has been the main cause of massive deforestation in the municipality of Bacalar, affecting thousands of hectares of jungle. For this reason, environmental organizations and local beekeepers have denounced this aggressive activity due to its impact on the ecosystem, including the potential risk to the Laguna de los Siete Colores (Lagoon of Seven Colors) from the use of agrochemicals.

The attorney indicated that they are considering a swift resolution to the problem, but for now, constant supervision is maintained due to the environmental impact, which includes illegal land use changes, clear-cutting of the jungle, as well as clandestine wells that directly impact the water table.

"We have managed to prevent the devastation of new areas thanks to the information gathered and surveillance patrols. The task is complex due to the vast territorial extension they have already covered by these settlements," he said.

He highlighted that regarding this problem, there are already advances with the head of Profepa, Mariana Boy, who has led periodic work meetings to maintain the operation in the area and to consider some alternatives in a second phase, such as a possible relocation of settlements.

"It was one of the tasks we decided to address, no matter how complicated it is, because for many years they have allowed actions that are totally illegal, which is why we are supervising the issue specifically from an environmental standpoint," emphasized the interviewee.

To the Bacalar area (Salamanca colony, later Nuevo Salamanca), at least 30 families arrived in the years from the 1990s to 2000, which amounted to approximately one hundred people in the first years; however, over time the community has grown considerably due to high Mennonite birth rates.

"They already know that we have them in our sights and have prevented zones from being devastated; however, it is a rather complex task due to the territorial extension being managed," underlined the interviewee.

According to reports from environmental organizations, the deforestation generated by the Mennonite agricultural expansion in southern Quintana Roo could exceed 50,000 hectares.