Mexico Approves $16 Million Beach Restoration Project in Exclusive Puerto Cancún Zone

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Mexico’s environmental agency has approved a $16 million project to restore eroded beaches in the exclusive Puerto Cancún development, while a larger regional beach rehabilitation plan faces opposition from environmental groups.

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) authorized the Environmental Impact Statement for the “Beach Reconditioning Actions in Puerto Cancún” project, which will use 28,000 cubic meters of sand to rehabilitate and stabilize 785 meters of eroded coastline. The project includes an additional $2 million annually for maintenance.

Material for the restoration will come from marine disposal areas near the project and from the Puerto Cancún navigation channel, where sand accumulation has been hindering boat passage.

Meanwhile, a separate proposal to restore 33 kilometers of beaches across Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos, and Cozumel remains pending federal approval. This larger project, promoted by the state government, faces objections from at least 20 environmental organizations that have asked federal authorities to deny authorization.

Environmentalists argue the larger project relies on an Environmental Impact Statement approved in 2009 and an administrative extension, despite significant changes in environmental conditions, regulations, and land use over the past 15 years.

Ecology and Environment Secretary Óscar Rébora reported that bathymetric and volumetric studies have identified sand banks for the proposed restoration areas: 12 kilometers in Cancún, 12 kilometers in Playa del Carmen, 7 kilometers in Puerto Morelos, and 2.5 kilometers in Cozumel.

The Puerto Cancún project authorization marks a reversal from April 2023, when Semarnat initially rejected the environmental permit.