Semarnat Convenes Working Groups to Protect Mahahual’s Environment

Mahahual, Quintana Roo — Mexico’s Environment and Natural Resources Department (Semarnat) has called a series of working groups to design a public policy mechanism for environmental protection in Mahahual, a fast-growing cruise destination on Quintana Roo’s southern coast.

Andrés Aguilar Becerril, undersecretary of Tourism for the Quintana Roo state government, said the federal government proposed incorporating a nature-based tourism model, driven by the projections that existed for Mahahual and by the legal disputes that have arisen there.

“Over the coming months an agenda will be built that links the environmental agenda with the tourism agenda,” he said.

Aguilar Becerril said the effort follows a presidential instruction and a direct assignment to Semarnat to address the issue. “If we are asked as a state which policy applies to Mahahual, the first step would simply be to consult the master plan. Mahahual is an emerging destination that has been growing at an accelerated pace and consequently requires containment mechanisms,” he said.

The working groups will develop instruments to define Mahahual’s tourism identity, which is clearly oriented toward cruise ship traffic but could be complemented by other segments such as agrotourism, nature tourism and diving.

Aguilar Becerril pointed to Cozumel as a reference, noting that a workshop was held there last month to align and integrate a tourism development program. “Mahahual will probably have to move in that direction, with local instruments aligned with state and federal ones, accompanied by community-based governance mechanisms and financing mechanisms,” he said.

He said the controversial Perfect Day project will be included among the Semarnat working groups. “It is an issue we already know is extremely controversial, but at the end of the day let’s not forget that the company invested in that destination and has the right, like any other investor in this state.”

The talks could lead to the project being reconsidered, he said, noting that Royal Caribbean holds possession of the land and is fully within its rights to file whatever permits it considers to be in its interest.

“Let’s not forget that the state government becomes an authority that articulates, coordinates and aligns, but it also depends heavily on federal and local policy to establish what can and cannot be done. I think it is very healthy to open these spaces for consultation and reflection, without losing the most important thing, which is that the community itself defines where it wants to take the destination,” Aguilar Becerril added.