Yucatán Groups Demand Cancellation of Las Dunas Coastal Development

Mérida, Yucatán — Members of the Las Dunas collective, along with environmental organizations and residents, staged a peaceful, nonpartisan demonstration Friday at the Monumento a la Patria to demand the permanent cancellation of the “Las Dunas, Chuburná” real estate project, which they say threatens coastal ecosystems and community rights.

The proposed development includes 14 towers, 138 apartments and 32 commercial units spread across more than nine hectares of coastal dunes, wetlands and mangrove vegetation in Chuburná Puerto, according to the protesters.

Demonstrators said heavy machinery began work on the site without the required prior, free and informed consultation with residents. They argued that the project violates their rights to participation, access to information and a healthy environment.

In a public statement, the groups acknowledged that the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (Profepa) has intervened in the case under file PFPA/37.1.2/35.4/0080-26, but said its actions have been insufficient. They added that a closure order has not fully halted activity on the property.

“The loss of coastal dunes would reduce the natural protection of the coast against hurricanes and storm surges, and also affect endemic plant species whose distribution is limited to this stretch of the Yucatán shoreline,” the statement read.

The area also serves as a nesting site for hawksbill turtles and is home to protected species such as the Mexican sheartail hummingbird and the Yucatan wren, the protesters noted. They said dune vegetation filters water into the aquifer, and removing it could increase pollution and reduce the availability of water resources.

On a social level, the groups said a large-scale development could drive up living costs, alter the economic dynamics of Chuburná Puerto and gradually displace families that have lived and worked in the community for generations.

The protesters directed a set of demands to federal, state and municipal authorities:

• Permanent cancellation and revocation of any environmental or municipal permits granted to the project.
• Immediate removal of heavy machinery and a complete halt to construction work on the dunes.
• A comprehensive audit by the federal Environment Ministry (Semarnat) and Profepa to determine and punish potential administrative and criminal responsibilities.
• Ecological restoration of affected vegetation.
• Respect for the right of the Chuburná Puerto community to decide on its territory.
• Creation of a state law guaranteeing prior, free and informed consultation for communities and indigenous peoples.
• Harmonization of permitting regulations with the human right to a healthy environment, including mandatory public participation in such projects.
• Declaration of the coastal strip as a Natural Protected Area, and expansion of protective measures to other parts of Yucatán facing pressure from megaprojects, including Dzoyilá, Molas, Sisal, Sierra Papacal and Chicxulub Puerto.

The organizers said they will continue pursuing social and legal actions to protect the territory and ensure compliance with existing environmental law.