Mexico Closes Nine Tourist Projects in Tulum Citing Environmental Damage

Citing adverse impact on wild flora and fauna, Mexican authorities have shut down nine tourist projects in Tulum, a protected natural area in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo.

An area spanning 37,615 sq. meters (9 acres) had been affected, cites staff with the Profepa federal environmental protection agency who verified through five environmental impact assessments and four forestry inspections of those tourist developments.

Profepa, therefore, said it would prescribe urgent measures for restoring and offsetting the damage to the ecosystems and also impose fines and file criminal complaints.
Vegetation had been removed from three ecosystems that play a key role in climate regulation, Profepa said.

Those ecosystems, located in a strip of land that runs parallel to the coastline near the northeastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, are home to a wide variety of species, the agency added.
 
They provide habitat and serve as nesting and mating grounds for numerous wild animal species, as well as for creeping, herbaceous and shrubby plant species that help minimize storm damage and play a key role in mitigating erosion.