Federal intervention in vulnerable coastal ecosystems
In a nationwide environmental control action, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (Profepa) carried out an operation that resulted in the imposition of 31 total or partial closures of a temporary nature. These measures of administrative coercion were applied to a variety of tourist developments, infrastructure works and real estate projects that operated outside the law. The most recurrent infraction was the carrying out of activities without having the authorization regarding environmental impact issued by the competent authority, or for having carried out changes in land use in forest lands or critical ecosystems without the corresponding permits.
The inspection period, between October 27 and 31, allowed the verifiers to document 50 inspection visits distributed in 14 states with a coastline. During these visits, technical evidence of significant impacts on priority ecosystems was collected, among which mangroves, wetlands, dune systems and the Federal Maritime-Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat) stand out. The degradation mechanisms identified prominently included filling with stone or waste material, as well as the illegal construction and expansion of infrastructure within protected natural areas or in regions with coastal vegetation cover of high ecological importance.
Patterns of illegality and geographical distribution of violations
The analysis of the data collected by Profepa made it possible to identify specific patterns of environmental irregularities, grouped by geographic region. In the states of Campeche, Nayarit and Tabasco, the central problem consisted of the filling of mangroves and wetlands to reclaim land from the sea or bodies of water, a practice that irreversibly alters coastal hydrodynamics and destroys the habitat of numerous species. On the other hand, in entities such as Oaxaca, Michoacán, Yucatán and Baja California Sur, the most frequently documented violation was the change in land use and the construction of tourist complexes without having any environmental authorization.
A third pattern of illicit actions was concentrated in the states of Sonora, Sinaloa and Guerrero, where irregular occupations were verified in the Federal Maritime-Terrestrial Zone, a non-transferable public space intended for universal access to beaches. Finally, in Tamaulipas and Veracruz, inspection actions focused on unauthorized expansions of hotels and residential complexes, which were carried out without presenting the corresponding environmental impact statement for said modifications.
Inter-institutional operational capacity and relevant case studies
To carry out this macro-operation, a contingent of 151 elements belonging to various government institutions was deployed. This inter-institutional task force was made up of personnel from Profepa itself, the National Guard (GN), the Secretariat of the Navy (Semar), state police and technicians from the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp). The intervention was strategically focused on regions with high real estate and tourism pressure, spanning from the Baja California peninsula to the state of Tabasco.
Among the most relevant case studies documented during the operation, the mangrove fills stand out within the Laguna de Terminos Flora and Fauna Protection Area, in Campeche, one of the most important wetland regions in the country. Likewise, unauthorized works were detected on beaches in Michoacán and irregular tourist projects in the Oaxacan municipalities of Huatulco and Pochutla. Establishments were also closed due to illegal occupations in the Zofemat of Sonora and Sinaloa, as well as hotels in Playa Miramar, Tamaulipas. A particular case was the closure of a restaurant in the town of Mandinga, Veracruz, for having carried out construction works on the coast in an area with the presence of mangrove, an ecosystem considered critical habitat and subject to strict protection measures.
This research shows a structural problem of disregard for environmental regulations in coastal regions of Mexico, driven by unregulated economic development. The authorities’ response constitutes a significant precedent in the application of environmental law.
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