Environmental authorities in Mexico have rejected the proposal for a large waterpark in the southern state of Quintana Roo, citing risks for coastal ecosystems and local communities.
Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day Mexico would have covered more than 80 hectares (200 acres) in the village of Mahahual with the “ultimate vacation for families,” including pools, restaurants and beaches. But officials this week shot down the project citing concerns about its potential impact on mangroves and coral reefs.
“We are not going to do anything that puts the ecological balance of that area at risk,” President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo told the media at her daily morning press conference on Monday, May 18
Royal Caribbean told Reuters it respected Mexico’s decision to cancel the project and is still optimistic about investing in the country.
The following day, Tuesday, May 19, Mexico’s secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, confirmed the decision at a press conference.
“We, at Semarnat, will not approve it,” she said.
By law, the agency reviews development projects and must approve their environmental viability before construction can begin.
Mahahual, historically a fishing village, is located approximately 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve, which is home to coral reefs and seagrass, among other sensitive marine ecosystems.
The town itself also has around 50 hectares (124 acres) of mangroves and wetlands, according to an environmental impact assessment (EIA).
Since 2001, a port used by cruise ships has steadily increased tourism to the area. Royal Caribbean, a Miami-based cruise line company, planned to boost annual visitors to the area even more, from 2 million in 2025 to 4.1 million by 2030, according to the EIA.
The company said the site was ideal for the waterpark that would have included artificial beaches, restaurants, bars, sports facilities and pools, because it already contained roads, buildings and other infrastructure that had disturbed the environment.
“The implementation of the project does not contemplate removal, filling, pruning, transplanting or any modification of mangrove specimens,” the company said in the EIA.
The project reportedly caused concern with residents in the area, who said the village couldn’t sustain such a spike in visitors.
Across Mexico, tourism development has posed similar challenges to communities, where leaders say they feel overwhelmed by visitors even with ecotourism projects that are designed to protect local ecosystems. Recent governments have also been criticized for major infrastructure projects meant to increase tourism, such as Tren Maya, a 1,554-kilometer (966-mile) railroad through the Yucatán peninsula.
Banner image: Clouds hang over the town of Mahahual, Quintana Roo state, Mexico, in 2017. Image by Israel Leal, Associated Press
This story first appeared on Mongabay
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