Save Eco Destinations

“Banyan Tree concept is having the guests and owners feel as if they are in the nature, in the surrounding habitat, and not within human built structures.”

The residences are being finished and people will be moving in next month. Some of the villas are on sale right now, striving to ensnare the rich and fashionable elite. There will also be a resort.

Since its inception 14 years ago, Banyan Tree has won 400 awards that “reflect Banyan Tree’s sustainable growth and expansion.”

Banyan Tree has residences and hotels spread across the globe and particularly in China. These
Developments are known for its opulent and luxurious style. Their goal here is to “create an intimate, ecological haven” comprised of 132 villas (50 of them being sold to investors). Each villa will have its own 240-600 sq. ft. pool, roomy outdoor terrace, and sundeck, because “at Banyan Tree we create emotional experiences for our guests.”

The Eco in Banyan Tree Mayakoba

Banyan Tree Mayakoba has integrated ecologists and biologists to its staff to ensure the surrounding ecosystems—composed of the beach, lagoons, and mangrove jungles—are preserved despite their intrusion into the land. “Each property minimizes the impact on the ecology and is dedicated to carrying out local community development,” reads one of its websites.  But I wonder.

No details have been offered as to their sewage treatment or how they plan to educate their guests to recycle and dispose of their waste, among other issues. Their championship PGA TOUR event golf course, though, “bears the Audubon International certification for environmental stewardship and awareness.” Does this mean no phosphates are released into the ecosystem? Not necessarily, although I hope so.

I’m probably just being paranoid. I just find it hard to believe everything I read these days, particularly when details are missing and especially when big companies are involved.

Paul Sánchez-Navarro

Paul Sánchez-Navarro is executive director of the Centro Ecológico Akumal, an organization that works to supervise and diminish the pernicious impact of unsustainable hotels on the reefs off Quintana Roo. He explains that the recent exponential boosts in tourism on the Maya Riviera have augmented the following issues:

• More workers and construction to accommodate for rising demand
• A consequent fresh water shortage
• Waste (mis)management – many resorts dump their sewage deep into the ground, so that it ends up in aquifers and underground rivers and eventually makes its way to the ocean and its vulnerable ecosystem. Alarming amounts of nitrates and phosphates, particularly from urine, have been found in the area’s aquifers, Sánchez-Navarro told CNN.
• Higher levels of general pollution – leftover bottles, batteries, etc.

Monetary profit trumps environmental activism for most—mais oui!—so that finding solutions to these problems becomes a tougher endeavor for us. Many hotels oh-so-selflessly contribute money to the Mexican government, meaning hotels are not subject to stringent regulations. Global warming is a constant soldier gunning down the corals as well, although some storms are actually beneficial, allowing the corals to spread.

But never fear, we green activists are everywhere, and ever louder making our voices heard! Sánchez-Navarro, who believes unsustainable hotels are the main offenders, says that the answer lies in collaborating with “multiple levels of government, the private business sector,” and mainstream society in order to raise awareness and spark interest and involvement, to hopefully offset global warming’s effects in addition to that of unsustainable developments. Sánchez-Navarro works with environmental policy frameworks in Mexico and within the United Nations system, in addition to other endeavors.

Also getting his hands dirty is an industrial mineralogist from Ohio’s Miami University, Mark Krekeler, who is now in Akumal researching sustainable waste management with his research group. Krekeler is looking to improve the workings of constructed wastelands (of which Akumal currently has 50) to remove harmful bacteria, phosphates, and nitrates from sewage. Another option for filtering sewage is clay, fortunately ubiquitous in the Yucatán Peninsula. Both projects are ongoing.

It is certainly uplifting to learn about active efforts to restore life and dignity to the earth’s ecosystems. When we look after the environment, we look after ourselves.