Overdevelopment Threatens Dunes and Mangroves at Playa Mamitas in Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — A proposed seven-tower residential development threatens the dunes and mangroves at Playa Mamitas, one of Playa del Carmen’s most popular beach areas, according to local environmental activists.

The project, named Zonna, would rise on Calle 28 next to the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat). Activist Cristóbal Carreón said the “overdensification” posed by the project would severely damage the dune system.

The development site, listed as Lot 08, Region 03, Block 001, covers more than 21,000 square meters and is identified under permit application number 23QR2026TD016.

Guadalupe de la Rosa, an activist with the civil association MOCE YAX-CUSTAL, said Playa Mamitas is one of the last places in Playa del Carmen where mangroves remain, even if only in small patches. “They’re important because they’re connected to the reefs,” she said. “We can’t allow them to keep destroying the little mangrove left in Playa del Carmen.” De la Rosa said she plans to submit her concerns to the project’s public consultation.

The municipal government changed the land use designation for the property on March 31, 2025. A city council member later accused Mayor Estefanía Mercado of approving the overdensification without public consultation.

Liliana Hernández, another activist, warned that building the seven towers would release sediment and create other construction-related impacts on the coastal ecosystem. “Today Playa Mamitas offers wide beaches, but if the seven towers are built, the sediment generated by the work will have a negative impact on ecosystems and alter biodiversity,” she said.

Local merchant Julio Álvarez said the municipal government itself is destroying Playa del Carmen’s natural resources. “The authorities have turned into tax collectors; they don’t care about the safety of the population,” he said. He also alleged that the operator of Club Mamitas Beach previously filled in a mangrove area with stone material to create a parking lot, with the complicity of officials.

José Urbina Bravo, a member of the Cenotes Urbanos de Playa del Carmen group, said the gradual destruction of mangroves has already affected the nearby reef system. “Any overdensified coastal development has a negative impact, and although we’re already living with the consequences, the authorities don’t want to understand,” he said.