SEMARNAT, Greenpeace Address Maya Forest Concerns

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) met with Greenpeace Mexico to address the environmental organization’s concerns about the impacts on the Maya Forest, and the overall need for better land management in the Yucatan Peninsula.

The event was convened by Alicia Bárcena, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, in response to protests carried out by Greenpeace activists in Mexico City. During the demonstration, activists unfurled a banner on the Estela de Luz monument with the message: “The Maya Forest Cries Out. SEMARNAT, Save It!” Greenpeace reports that in the past five years, more than 300,000ha of forest have been lost — 16 times the size of Mexico City — exceeding deforestation of the previous two decades.

SEMARNAT officials presented updates on zoning and land-use planning in the peninsula. The agency said it is updating the territorial plan for Tulum and advancing plans for Bacalar, Benito Juarez, Isla Mujeres and Puerto Morelos. It stressed the importance of working with state governments to identify irregular settlements and said environmental impact permits are now subject to stricter scrutiny.

Territorial zoning is an integrated planning process that regulates land use and occupation to ensure sustainable development through the coordination of social, economic, and environmental policies.

The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) reports that it maintains ongoing inspection and monitoring work in the Yucatan Peninsula. It says it has closed 64 illegal real estate developments: 31 in Yucatan, two in Campeche, and 31 in Quintana Roo. In addition, 25 plots of land have been shut down, and 13 criminal complaints have been filed.

Regarding the issue of pig farms in the region, one of the main environmental concerns in recent years, PROFEPA says it helped establish an interagency task force against illegal logging in Quintana Roo to curb deforestation linked to agroindustrial expansion. It also highlights the closure of a pig farm operated by the company Pecuaria Peninsular in Merida.

The farm was fully closed Sept. 9 after failing to comply with seven corrective measures, including unauthorized wastewater discharges and failure to characterize sludge. PROFEPA says it will require the company to repair environmental damage through a damage study and by overseeing dismantling and site abandonment.

So far, PROFEPA has inspected farms in 20 Yucatan municipalities and opened eight cases against operators. The agency is developing a comprehensive strategy to address social and environmental impacts of pig farming. Additionally, the National Water Commission (CONAGUA) says it will strengthen water quality monitoring related to these operations.

The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) reports that there are 39 protected natural areas in the Yucatan Peninsula that are under constant monitoring. It also noted that in August, Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize signed an agreement to establish the Biocultural Corridor of the Great Maya Forest (CBGSM), which protects 5.7 million ha and benefits over 7,000 species. 

Greenpeace thanked SEMARNAT for the meeting but called for a regional conservation agreement for the Maya Forest that reflects diverse perspectives and recognizes its environmental value, not just its economic or extractive potential.

The group demands the suspension of new environmental impact permits for megaprojects until a comprehensive ecological and territorial zoning plan is in place. In this context, Greenpeace pointed to ongoing concerns over Calica’s limestone mining project and CEMEX’s cement operations, which it considers to be active threats. According to the organization, there has been no clear government response to these cases.

Both sides agreed to establish multisectoral, multidisciplinary, and intersecretarial working groups, with participation from all levels of government, to develop a comprehensive zoning plan for the peninsula. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for early November.

“We came to the meeting emphasizing that we represent not only our organization but also thousands of Mexicans concerned about the forest, experts who have warned of the impacts on this vital ecosystem for life and climate change resilience, and local communities whose cultural, social, and environmental surroundings are being disrupted,” says Aleira Lara, Executive Director, Greenpeace Mexico.