Save Eco Destinations

Xcacel-Xcacelito. Photo by Titti Alvarado

It all started over a decade ago, with Sol Melía’s unsuccessful attempts at destroying the Xcacel-Xcacelito ecosystem (Quintana Roo, Mexico) for the sake of his hotel chain. Environmental activists have been able to steer Melía off course, but the time might have come for his success in 2009.

The selfish, über-capitalist, global-warming-loving Melía has apparently acquired the necessary permits to build right by a reserve, Xcacel-Xcacelito, which would essentially eradicate it.

This fragile ecosystem is where different species of near-endangered turtles, such as loggerheads and green turtles, go to nest every year. Biologists try to protect their eggs from predators at night during this time of year (May-October).

It seems that Melía’s multinational corporation’s been lobbying, all the while receiving the unconditional blessings of the Spanish government through its embassy in Mexico, if not directly through their Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, another awesome man of the people out to make the world a better place.

Zapatero visited Mexico last year to show his support for the recently “elected” President Felipe Calderón, and to reciprocate the visit he had previously made to Spain. During these meetings, the guilty parties partied with the main Spanish multinational corporations, who just happened to be investing in Mexico. (What a series of coincidences!)

They are all also linked via the Universidad de Quintana Roo (UQROO), Governor Félix González Canto,  and the powerful Quintana Roo Xcaret Group of investors.

I guess the Spanish government and Melía belong to the Global Warming is a Myth! group. Probably to the We’re Corporatists, We’re Rich So We Don’t Care About the Rest of the World group, too. Or maybe they’re just mindless jerks (I’m watching my language, here).

If only more people knew about these developments! If only the mainstream media worked to enlighten instead of to please the corporations that feed it. Part of the work we can do to solve the issues of corporations trying to literally make a killing, is support independent media, help it grow by spreading the word about it to help disseminate the issues we care about that FOX and other poisonous networks wants to cover up.

Read more here, here, and here (in Spanish).

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A loggerhead turtle (photo by Wikimedia)

Green turtles and loggerheads residing in the “marine turtles sanctuary” on the Riviera Maya’s Virgin Beaches are about to lose their home.

The Punta Carey complex and the Grupo Posadas, according to unofficial sources, have been destroying this protected habitat and effectively committing ecocide. What for? Why, so Grupo Posadas can build a tourist complex and make investors happy, of course!

Although the Grupo Posadas is currently wreaking eco havoc in an area adjacent to Xcacel-Xcacelito, ecologists say the turtles’ habitat and breeding will be affected and that the ecosystem will soon be lost.

But, you know, since the tourist complex will be sustainable, I guess all is A-ok! It’s odd, though, that those in charge of the construction are MIA. Meanwhile, the city, its people, and authorities are keeping their eyes and ears on the elections in Tulum. Manuel Barrero Gutiérrez, director of Tulum’s Urban Development, claims to have been ignorant about the Grupo Posadas project. On Wednesday, his personnel will be visiting the site to conduct the corresponding inspections, which require certain looking after the environment. If the project doesn’t meet the proper standards, it will be shut down.

The area comprises 90 acres of jungle, mangrove, coastal dune, beaches, cenotes, and coralline reefs. It’s the most important beach in Mexico for these turtles to nest; biologists venture out at night to help protect the eggs and young. The turtles come to Xcacel-Xcacelito in May through October.

The project was announced in 2006 and requires $ 26.7 million to develop. It will consist of 250 rooms throughout 370 acres. A development of similar magnitude and cause of ecocide is the Ho­tel Pa­raí­so Xca­cel del Gru­po Gon­zá­lez An­gu­lo.

Green female turtle nesting on the beach