Jungle clearing halted in Playa del Carmen over spider monkey habitat

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) has shut down a jungle clearing operation in the Xcalacoco area north of Playa del Carmen, where residents had been reporting for over two months the destruction of the natural passage of the spider monkey, a protected species in danger of extinction.

The clearing work was carried out with the intention of building a parking lot for a soft drink company on a surface area of approximately five hectares, but which forms part of a biological corridor where various species of flora and fauna exist, many of them listed in the special protection catalog as being threatened, such as primates.

Following the complaint filed with Profepa by the civil association Defending the Right to a Healthy Environment (DMAS), inspectors from the federal agency appeared yesterday morning and placed a closure banner at the main entrance of the site, preventing the reactivation of the work.

In this way, an administrative procedure was initiated against the responsible company registered under file number PFPN/29.2/35.2/0001-2026/0001, so that it can answer for the environmental damage perpetrated.

Laura Mendoza Ramírez, a member of the citizen science organization Cenotes Urbanos and a resident of the affected site’s surroundings, recalled that the first clearing occurred on October 20, 2025.

Despite a closure by local authorities, the work continued, which is why they had to go to the federal instance, after discovering dry caves with species of utmost importance such as bats at the site.

“We still have many green trees and very tall ones. So the little monkeys rarely touch the ground or the street. They always move through the branches of all the trees. We neighbors don’t bother them, so we are a safe passage for them,” reported Laura Mendoza.

Irma Morales Cruz, lawyer for DMAS, explained that for now they have to monitor that the closure is respected and wait for Profepa’s corrective measures. Everything points to the sanctioned company issuing an environmental study that citizens will be able to access to comment on its viability.