Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo — Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) has designated a 39.90-hectare site in this municipality as a Circular Economy Development Pole for Well-Being (Podecibi), offering tax incentives to attract recycling and waste recovery investments.
The site lies in the Cancún–Puerto Morelos–Playa del Carmen corridor, which federal officials consider strategic due to its road, airport, rail, and port connections.
The declaration followed a request from Quintana Roo’s Ecology and Environment Secretariat, confirmed by the state’s Agency for Strategic Projects (Agepro), which owns the land. After review, Semarnat determined the polygon meets all technical, environmental, social, and legal criteria.
The property does not encroach on any federally or locally protected natural areas, Ramsar sites, biosphere reserves, or protected biological corridors. However, the agreement notes that part of the land is forested and lies partially within the Corredor Central Vallarta–Punta Laguna Important Bird Area (IBA). Any future project must obtain environmental permits and implement mitigation measures.
Additionally, the site sits atop the Yucatán Peninsula aquifer, is prone to flooding, and is located 2.4 kilometers from a potable water aqueduct serving Puerto Morelos — factors that developers must consider.
Socially, the Puerto Morelos ejido assembly approved the project with 55 votes in favor and none against. The Maya indigenous community of Central Vallarta expressed its consent in writing, and the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI) determined that no formal consultation was necessary given the community’s explicit agreement.
The agreement provides for the participation of regional academic institutions — the Yucatán Scientific Research Center (CICY), the University of the Caribbean, and the Technological University of Cancún — in projects on sustainable sargassum management, technological innovation, and waste recovery.
Companies that set up in the Podecibi must submit quarterly reports on their environmental cleanup contributions and annual reports proving compliance with targets, including the traceability of processed materials. Failure to do so will result in loss of the tax incentives outlined in the federal decree.
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