Save Eco Destinations

I told you: rich white people

Land in Tulum is going up in price due to the upcoming development of Aldea Zamá and speculations as to the local  population increase to come. Realtors actually expect Tulum’s population to swell large enough to surpass Playa del Carmen’s!

Wouldn’t that be awful? It would stop being Tulum, essentially. It would become more polluted. It would become poisoned with corporate interests—and it would show—much to the dismay of the locals in particular.

Not to mention that it would be located right next to the ecological national park and archaeological sites. Yet there is not one mention of the development aiming to prevent damaging the environment or being at all ecologically mindful.

Aldea Zamá will be placed close to downtown Tulum, encompassing residential lands, green park areas and commercial community zones. This part of Tulum is having its infrastructure prepared to host the coming corporate plague. Details as to the infrastructure alteration are hiding somewhere.

The people in charge try to sugarcoat it, you know, by saying it will be cozy. Check it: “We don’t want the people feeling as if they are living in a resort, spring break city, we want them to feel as if they are in a home and within a home community,” said Francisco de La Torre, sales director of the project.

Hmmm.

As far as esthetics, the plan is to “embrace the Mayan ambience”—yet employ “contemporary styles.” Um, wouldn’t that kind of clash?

How is that supposed to “preserve the treasured Mayan cultural history”? Building freaking condos ain’t gonna do it!

They think meshing modern technology with “the skills of local artisans [and] indigenous materials” will make it fit flawlessly into Tulum. Yeah, and at the same time they will create a “European ambience.”

Are they stupid or lobotomized? No, wait: they just want your $. Clever fu**ers. I’m sure they’ll fool plenty of folks with their inconsistent promises.

So no wonder they expect the local population to increase—they’re building unsustainable condos for rich white people (come on, that’s their target demographic, you know it) at the expense of nature and archaeology.

Well that’s nothing new.

The only thing I like about Aldea Zamá is that they plan to encourage walking as the main mode of transportation…although even their model photo-illustration portrays a BMW right by the shops–but wait–I thought everything was going to be walking distance?

Oh, right: they lied.

Everyone is going to die from swine flu!

All right.

A very big part of the reason why I have  been so frustrated by the uncalled-for swine flu panic is that it has postponed my vacation due to the resulting paranoia of one of my travel partners. Fortunately we are only postponing our trip by 2 weeks.

On to my point.

I will point you to some very intriguing and enlightening information. It will give you facts without sensationalizing them like mainstream media does.

This information does not come from a company or subsidiary of any corporation or medical laboratory or any body attempting to sell anyone anything.

This one is fundamental: The swine flu pandemic – fact or fiction? (29 April)- This one is truly fascinating.

"Swine flu threat has passed"

Some valuable points and reads to keep in mind when thinking about the swine flu:

• “Governments, using the mainstream media, have deliberately and shamefully engaged in fear mongering, not unlike the tactics used when a flu virus emerged in the U. S. in 1976. It was all smoke and mirrors.” 9 May, brand-spanking new. 
• “Many thousands of people die each year from the flu worldwide, especially in a poor country like Mexico.” And all piggy-free.
• Watch Jon Stewart slam fear-mongering
• “It is important to note that nearly all suspected new cases have been reported as mild. Preliminary scientific evidence is also pointing out that this virus is NOT as potent as initially thought.” This information was reported in a New York Times article on 5 May, while the article I quoted initially, up top, was published almost a week earlier. HELLO!
• Fear-mongering reporters fueled by corporate assholes have been forced to remove their heads from their asses, as scientists they are interviewing now admit they overreacted.
• “Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they believed the disease was not nearly as lethal or severe as they had initially thought it could be, and they recommended on Tuesday that schools with confirmed cases no longer shut their doors.” – New York Times, 6 May
• “Health officials report that although the virus is widespread, most cases seem to be mild.” NYT, 5 May (Yes, again! Get it in your head plz.)
• Expected Tamiflu sales would make corporations a whopping USD 388 million. And we know money is the best motivator. The drug isn’t even safe, and its side effects are prety much like those of the swine flu. Tamiflu purportedly shortens your sickness by 1-1.5 days. Doesn’t sound worthwhile to me.
• Flu vaccines are ineffective and unsafe.

I mean, damn, keep googling. I’m one of very many pissed off about the mindfucking mainstream media is doing on the populace.

And for the last time, Mexico is safe to visit. So hit that fear over the head with some facts and head on over if you were planning to already! And maybe I’ll see you there.

A colorful map of QR from seamonkeybusiness.com

Mexico reopened a lot of its archaeological sites and museums to the public yesterday thanks to the authorization of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), said State Tourism Secretary Sara Latife Ruiz. The sites had been closed since April 29.

About time!

Quintana Roo INAH Delegate Adriana Velásquez Morlet said the following have been greenlighted:

• Museum of the Maya Culture in Chetumal
• El Rey and El Meco in Cancún
• San Gervasio and El Cedral in Cozumel
• Tulum and Coba in Riviera Maya
• Chacchoben, Kohunlich, Kinichná, Dzibanché, Oxtankah, Xpuhil and The Fort of San Felipe Bacalar in the south

I hope you’re happy because I’m still getting partly screwed: the Tulum by Night show hasn’t even been given a date for making its comeback.

Chichén Itzá

In Yucatán, Chichén Itzá has reopened. Apparently it’s one of the new 7 wonders of the world. I should check it out.

Speaking of which—how do the forces of the universe (ha) choose what comprises a wonder, why are there new ones, and why still 7 instead of adding to the list? I’m sure there are very boring answers to those questions.

Anyway, after widespread piggy flu P-A-N-I-C throughout Mexico (in vain, I tell you, in vainnn!) most of the Caribbean portion of QR is returning to normal—bars, restaurants, shops (I’m sure the shopaholics reading this have a smile on their faces now, eh?), and other “tourist attractions.”

High schools and universities reopen tomorrow, Thursday 5/7 and the little ones go back to class starting Monday.

Cancun Intl Airport

The Ministry of Health assures the country is fading out of the disease.

Poor Mexico, so stigmatized when the swine flu is really no more dangerous than the regular flu. (Oh, yes—you better expect a whole post on that.)

At least the intl. airport in Cancun (CUN) got 99 flights (arrivals + departures) today alone. Wait for me, CUN, I’ll be there soon!!

photo from novenet.com.mx

(Scroll down for the latest news.)

Background (a few years ago):

The pier was built on a public beach and is located a mere 118 meters from the Jardines reef, all despite extensive opposition from environmental groups and companies and 3 years of lawsuits.

The pier was built illegally, as that type of infrastructure is prohibited in the area, according to the 2003 Local Environmental Ordering Plan (rough translation). Sediments flew, as the lawfully mandated precautions for such a structure were ignored. And so on.

2009:

“There were instructions to demolish the pier because it harms the coastline and the surrounding environment. We will have to address those who were involved in the building of the pier and we won’t take technical decisions lightly. The environment and coast of Quintana Roo, and in particular where this pier was build, is fragile and we have to be alert to the decisions the government takes so they don’t damage the environment,” said  State Governor Félix Arturo Gonzalez Canto during an interview held in late March.

Okay. At the same time…

Federal Attorney of Environmental Protection (Profepa) Delegate Luis Jorge Morales Arjona claims the Ultramar-Aquaword pier does not affect the Jardines reef – at all.

Sure, we believe him.

He said that after the pier was reopened (oh yeah, it was shut down) Profepa conducted an inspection of the area underwater during 4 days. “Several tests were done,” Morales Arjona said.

But wait.

He said Profepa verified the organisms that were transplanted (so they woulnd’t die) from the pier area, which were originally on the surface the pier was built on. “There they are, alive,” he said.

And.

However, “We don’t know how many organisms survived. We don’t know how many there were and which area they spanned,” he said.

He also assured the pier is not located close to a reef that could be affected by ships. And that the pier counts with the authorization of the Environmental Impact Manifestation (MIA) and the concession of the sea-land federal zone.

*Headdesk*

Environmentalists protest to have pier torn down

And that’s not all

100 shopkeepers and merchants signed a document stating they support the Ultramar pier. In that document, they wrote that the coral reef exists only in the minds of their opponents.

Essentially, a group of pissed off folks wrote a letter stating that they are not associated with the pier, but anyone who’s against it is a stupid jerk who wants them to starve to death when they lose business due to a non-existent pier.

It’s almost funny how they use both legal and rude language in the same document, accusing anyone who wants the pier gone as an immoral agitator. I mean, I get what they’re saying,  but, geez, get a grip.

“The swine flu be damned!” they said. OK, not really—that’s what I said.

Here’s the deal: federal, state, and municipal authorities have met in Cancun together with the businesses involved in the plan to stop beach erosion in the north of Quintana Roo.  Mexican authorities assured their work will continue.

Beach erosion at Playa del Carmen

The swine flu plus the worldwide economic crisis—and now its exacerbation due to drastic tourism lows because people mistakenly think they have super high chances of catching swine flu and that it is super deadly*—are wreaking havoc in Mexico.

Still, “The swine flu be damned!” I said (see?).  Beach rescue plans in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel will not be stopped, said Rodolfo Elizondo of the Secretary of Tourism (Sectur) and Mauricio Limón, of Environmental and Natural Resources (Semarnat).

Although the project was to begin on June 4, it has been pushed back a month to July. They expect the project to be finished by December, as it’s the most important month in terms of tourism for the Mexican Caribbean.

Why will this project go on? Precisely because of the chaos: Cancun must get itself out of trouble come high tourist season. It has to regain its allure to attract people to Mexico.

The federal government is ponying up MXN 400 million (USD 29 million) and the state govt. MXN 200 million (USD 14 million) plus credits to be solicited by the municipalities.

Ecological issues

The environmental aspects of the project will cost about MXN 900 million (USD 65 million). The authorities are in the process of gathering public opinion.

The regional Environmental Impact Manifestation has been submitted to Environmental Impact Evaluation Proceedings (PEIA) on April 2. PEIA has 60 days to emit a verdict, or longer if it requires additional information to make its decision. Semarnat guaranteed one by mid-June.

The “Cozumel issue”—the original opposition to sand extractions in its bank in Punta Norte—was “resolved” after hotel developer Fernando García Zalvidea got pissy about the repercussions of the continued block on this “indispensable” project for all of Quintana Roo and Mexico.

On the other hand, Limón Aguirre said La Ollita is not an option for a sand extraction source, as it holds less than 50% of the necessary amount of sand required.

More info (in Spanish) here.

Oh, the environment always loses when faced with financial gains to be had at its expense. Is beach erosion something so important to fix, environmentally, that extracting sand from another area and thereby affecting an ecosystem is worth the trouble?

YES, say hotel businessmen. DUH.

Oh, sorry. I should’ve known.

At the same time, if these beaches stop looking like the pamphlets promise they do and tourists start flocking elsewhere, these people, locals, won’t be able to feed their families (most people in Mexico are, of course, not rich).

It is complicated.

But can it only be one way or the other? Can’t there be a middle ground, or a way that both parties can win?

There must be. But it’s not worth the money when you can just extract sand from someplace more convenient, and finish it all in time for high season. At least this time.

* yes, I think the swine flu pandemic is BS. Really, read this article!! Think critically and deconstruct fear.mongering!

Beach erosion in Cancun (pic usurped from Trip Advisor, sorry)

Understandably, since it would cause environmental problems, inhabitants are against sand extraction in their vicinity. So where should the sand come from that is needed to fight beach erosion in Cancun, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen?

The Mexican state government has begun analyzing other sources in the area and guarantee they will continue with the “beach rescue project” despite the swine flu, sinking economy, and whatever else. The govt is awaiting the approval (or not) of the regional Environmental Impact Manifestation (MIA) by the Secretary of Environmental and Natural Resources (Semarnat).

State Governor Félix González Canto said last week that “we all have to do our part.” Although the technical and financial aspects of the project are set, “the environmental issue is a legitimate concern.”

There seems to be some real interest in remaining eco-friendly here. You know, to quit pissing so many people off, is my guess.

So, he said, sand will be extracted from across the Cozumel coastline only if Semarnat approves the MIA. Experts are seeking other sand banks among numerous options between Cozumel and Isla Mujeres.

If Semarnat says NO, well, they’re going to try again. Quite optimistically, even if they fail to get Semarnat’s OK, they hope to get the project going by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Cozumel authorities show ambivalence and refrain from taking an official stance of the issue. Awesome.

Oh, and tourists have been complaining about the eroded beaches in the Mexican Caribbean, since, you know, perfect ones show up in the pamphlets…

The mayor of Cozumel, Juan Carlos González, said he understands he needs to speak up but he feels caught between “a sword and the wall.” The locals are against it because they fear it would affect the harvest of pink snails and would make the area more vulnerable to hurricanes.

The area from which the sand would be extracted, moreover, is about to be decreed a Protected Natural Area, which would conflict with the sand extraction project. With the lack of a positive MIA, there is no way to convince the community that no negative effects will be felt.

What do you think? Can a compromise be reached? Does one evil outweigh the other?

beach erosion in MX

Early last month, Mexican citizens marched in Cozumel demanding the plan to extract 7 million cubic meters of sand off the north coast of Cozumel’s beaches be cancelled.

The march was organized by the environmentalist NGO Sky, Land and Sea (Cielo, Tierra y Mar, or Citymar) in order to protest the extraction of sand. This extraction would cause severe problems to the local ecosystem, said Citymar President Guadalupe Alvarez Chulim.

Local and diverse species would be adversely affected if such a huge amount of sand were removed from the area because said species feed off plankton and sea grasses.

Alvarez Chulim expressed gladness when the municipal president took the NGO’s side. He said neither the will of Cozumel’s inhabitants nor their local environment would be trampled.

“When there is will, it is possible to avoid the implementation of pernicious projects,” Alvarez Chulim told El Quintanarroense.

Success: The Cozumel City Council decided to side with Citymar and local residents.

La Ollita

Another plan has been set up to replace the Cozumel sand-extraction plan: to extract sand from the fishing area at La Ollita instead. Locals oppose this plan as well, even though, supposedly (uh huh) it would cause less environmental damage. (Bullshit.)

Alderman Baltazar Gómez Catzin said that “it is understood that municipal authority supports the collective cause and it has shown it, this would not be the exception,” according to El Quintanarroense.

The issue now is getting enough people to stand up and take to the streets to protest the new project once it starts.

“I am willing to head the movement, but I won’t do it when I don’t have the direct support of several dozen people willing to take certain measures,” Gómez Catzin said, and noted that people are not used to taking these sorts of actions, although they have on numerous occasions in the last few years.

He said the harm done to the area of extraction would be irreversible, even though official information is being hidden. (Wow. Ok—not really a surprise.)

“The authorities are hiding information, but we have seen the effects, regardless of the fact that a good amount of the millions of cubic meters of sand extracted years ago ended up in the bay, affecting the corals,” he added.

The beaches that have suffered sand extractions are still notably damaged by them.

Xcacel-Xcacelito sanctuary map

If you’ve been keeping up on Xcacel-Xcacelito through the blog or elsewhere, you know that Grupo Posadas has been intent on building a resort on one of the most important turtle nesting sites in the world. These creatures are the loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonian mydas) sea turtles.

Due to shady business between the federal and state governments and third parties, Xcacel-Xcacelito went from being a protected site to a patch of land up for grabs to the highest freakin’ bidder.

Even though this area used to be protected, as it belonged to a region declared protected back in 1998, it is no longer under jurisdiction of the state government. Being now in the federal government’s control, it was commercialized.

Grupo Posadas took advantage of the perilous situation the sanctuary found itself in and recently purchased the area free of legal repercussions regarding nature conservation and so on.

Take action

What we can do is email people in power in the Mexican Government, tell them how wrong we think this is, and do our best to influence them to turn things around. To take this land out of corporate hands and back into nature and the people’s.

I’ve found information on who to email; these are people influential in making decisions regarding whether to keep Xcacel-Xcacelito as an unviolated nesting site or turn it into a corporate wasteland.

The Mangrove Action Project has a sample letter you can email Mexican President Calderón and other folk in the Mexican Government.

Please send them an email.