Historic Pact to Save Quintana Roo’s Mayan Jungle

Bacalar, Quintana Roo — Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa served as the honorary witness for the signing of a collaboration agreement between the Agrarian Attorney's Office, the National Agrarian Registry, and the Federal Attorney's Office for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA). The signing, held at the Ejidal House, aims to strengthen the defense of the Mayan jungle against deforestation and protect the state's natural heritage.

A Coordinated Effort Against Deforestation

The event was attended by the heads of the Agrarian Attorney's Office, Víctor Juárez Carrera; the National Agrarian Registry, Luis Cruz Nieva; PROFEPA, Mariana Boy Tamborrell; and the Undersecretary of Agrarian Planning and Inventories of SEDATU, Griselda Martínez Vázquez. Governor Lezama highlighted that Quintana Roo possesses one of the most important biodiversities in Mexico, which supports economic activities for thousands of families.

She warned, however, that these resources exist within fragile ecosystems and their use must be responsible to avoid compromising the future of coming generations. Lezama stated that over the last 15 years, Quintana Roo has registered significant jungle loss. Municipalities such as Bacalar, Othón P. Blanco, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Lázaro Cárdenas, and Benito Juárez concentrate approximately 80 percent of the deforestation in that period.

In this context, she said the agreement establishes a solid coordination mechanism between agrarian and environmental authorities to strengthen territorial defense in ejidos and communities, protect environmental heritage, and coordinate inspection, registration, and support actions.

Protecting a Critical Forest

The head of PROFEPA, Mariana Boy Tamborrell, explained that the objective is to curb illegal deforestation, as deforestation in Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo is already a serious concern. She added that the aim is to protect the Mayan jungle, the second most important forest area after the Amazon, through various sustainable management programs.

Luis Cruz Nieva, head of the National Agrarian Registry, stated that the agreement will enable the sharing of information and resources to work jointly on protecting agrarian communities with concrete actions. "We are committed to doing things differently," he said.

Closing Legal Loopholes

The Agrarian Attorney, Víctor Juárez Carrera, specified that the agreement will allow for the elimination of legal loopholes or lack of information to put an end to deforestation and the land grabbing of socially owned lands in the Yucatán Peninsula. He noted that 53% of the property in the peninsula belongs to ejidos and communities; in Quintana Roo specifically, 84.3% is in the hands of social ownership.

Undersecretary Griselda Martínez Vázquez highlighted the importance of the joint work, stating that the environmental issue is fundamental and that taking care of the land means strengthening the ejidos and communities with rules to comply with.

Also present at the event were the municipal president of Bacalar, José Alfredo Contreras Méndez; the president of the Ejido Commission of Bacalar, Refugio Cano Gómez; Rafael Gómez Medina, magistrate of the Unitary Agrarian Court District 44; and ejido members from Yucatán and Campeche.