Royal Caribbean wants to construct two clubs in Mexico, which will could emulate this one that opened in December on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean
A network of environmental organizations warned about environmental and social risks two megatourism projects promoted by Royal Caribbean could generate on the island of Cozumel and in the coastal town of Mahahual, and urged federal authorities to deny environmental permits for both.
The projects, known as Royal Beach Club in Cozumel and Perfect Day in Mahahual are under review by the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources after the company submitted its Environmental Impact Statements between December and January.
According to the organizations, both projects are based on a large-scale tourism model intended to concentrate massive flows of visitors over very short periods.
For Mahahual, a community of fewer than 3,000 residents, Royal Caribbean plans to receive more than 21,000 tourists per day, which the groups say would place disproportionate environmental pressure on fragile coastal ecosystems.
The warning came from Grupo Gema del Mayab, Selvame MX, Territorios Diversos para la Vida, the Mexican Civil Council for Sustainable Forestry, the Citizen Collective of Cozumel Island, the Salvemos Mahahual Collective, Alianza para la Defensa Ambiental A.C., Defendiendo el Derecho a un Medio Ambiente Sano A.C., Futuros Indígenas and Greenpeace México A.C.
The organizations argue that the Perfect Day megaproject poses a direct threat to the mangroves of Mahahual, considered key to coastal protection and ecological balance, as well as to species such as the jaguar and to sea turtle nesting areas.
They also warn of potential impacts on the Mexican Caribbean reef and restrictions on public access to beaches.
One of the issues described as “highly concerning” is that the company is allegedly promoting both projects as if they already had environmental authorizations, even though the administrative procedures have not been completed.
On Thursday, a District Court in Quintana Roo granted a provisional suspension as part of a lawsuit filed by Defendiendo el Derecho a un Medio Ambiente Sano A.C. against actions by municipal and state authorities that approved land-use changes on more than 264 acres in Mahahual for the Perfect Day project.
The organizations argue that the experience in northern Quintana Roo — in areas such as Cancun — shows that intensive tourism has caused irreversible environmental damage, de facto privatization of the coastline and economic benefits concentrated in a few actors, while local communities bear the social and ecological costs.
They stress that the projects cannot be evaluated in isolation, as the Yucatan Peninsula faces cumulative pressures stemming from accelerated urban growth, other large infrastructure projects and the effects of climate change.
The groups called on the secretariat to guarantee a “strict and transparent” environmental evaluation process, with effective participation by local communities and application of the precautionary principle established under Mexican law. They also requested that no project be authorized if it puts the natural heritage of the Mexican Caribbean and the Maya Forest at risk.
“The Maya Forest is not an amusement park,” the organizations said, insisting that the region must be prioritized for the country’s environmental and cultural conservation.
