Save Eco Destinations

Could it be? A truly eco-friendly jungle haven for those who can afford it you can live in without ruining the local ecosystem? Holy cow.

Selva de Aluxes is 300 acres between Cancun and Playa del Carmen. Currently in the works, lots are going at pre-sale prices. These lots are meant to have houses built on them.

And (do you hear the music?) they claim that officials are respecting “eco-friendly restrictions as a way of preserving the environment and natural habitat.” For fresh water, they are drilling into the earth to install a well, which is a lot better than trucking fresh water in every day like other establishments (even “eco” ones) do. Right on the homepage, it reads:

“We are dedicated to preserving the ecosystem with infrastructure standards that include the use of windmill turbines, solar panels, air generators and a host of other environmentally friendly techniques.”

There will be a community center with art shows and live music—ahem, noise and light pollution! (Remember their effects on the endangered sea turtles, anyone?) Well, its impact on the ecosystem would depend on location, noise level, and other factors. I’m still skeptical. And you know why you should be too? Because there will be a landing strip for small aircrafts. Really, it’s right on the homepage.

Sounds like these people have good intentions but they’re not very smart. Or they really don’t care about preserving the tranquility of nature for the benefit of the local ecosystem—and they’re bad at hiding it.

Apart from that, there aren’t many details yet. The wind and solar energy factor is comforting, however. And the drilling of the well instead of bringing in water.

Well, then, I’m hopeful. It is, in any case, some kind of step forward.

But, you know: it’s like all these eco retreats and activities and developments right in the midst of nature—if you were really eco, you’d leave it alone, right? That’s how I feel.

I mean, sure, it’s great to be in nature. I go to my local ecological reserve to paint, read, hang out by the water and hear the river’s soothing sounds calm me. But I’m not going to build a home there, even if my excrement was to exit my super excellent eco sewage treatment system smelling of wheatgrass. I just go, enjoy myself, pick up any trash I see, and go back home without causing any destruction.

But, hey, what are you gonna do? It’s not like we can shoot down everyone who walks all over nature. For now.

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.

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?