Travel Notes: Mexico, Brazil, Belize and Ghana

Tourism Gone Bad: Cancun Spreads South
Trip Report
Lori Maddox in Mexico

More piers in Cancun mean less habitat

At first glance, Cancun is a model success story. The Mexican government and private investors took an expensive risk 40 years ago and turned this quiet strip of beach into a leading tourist destination.

But Cancun`s success may be its biggest enemy. Cancun draws hundreds of thousands of tourists from the U.S. and Europe, and these visitors threaten to kill the very resource that draws them. Already, Cancun has exceeded its carrying capacity, the lagoon is polluted, and dune and mangrove ecosystems are in serious jeopardy.

High density hotel development in Cancun has diminished the environmental quality of the area, and hence the quality of the tourist experience. In May 2000, The Diario of Yucatan reported: "Cancun is changing the direction of its efforts and although it concerns many people, it has ceased being a selective tourist center and has become a playground for the masses."

Developers are now looking south for unspoiled areas, and the stakes are high. Mexico`s federal laws, state laws, and regional development plans aim to limit density and manage growth. But these regulations are being ignored and circumvented.

Patricio Martin, CEMDA

In an effort to address these environmental threats, the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA) opened an office in Cancun in the fall of 2001. Patricio Martin is the only staff attorney and he has no shortage of work. He says: "I apply constant pressure by filing court actions to force the government and developers to follow the law."

Patricio is challenging the construction of a pier for ferries moving between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen. Another pier, operating at only 40% of its capacity, already serves Cozumel from a point 200 meters to the south. It appears from this and other projects in the area that Cancun`s high density hotel development will soon arrive in Playa del Carmen.

Patricio`s case against the permitting authority brought everyone to the negotiating table. Patricio and the citizens he represents were able to ensure that no boats originating from the new pier would pass over, or within 40 meters of the offshore reef. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, extending from Isla de Contoy in Mexico through Belize and east along the coast of Honduras, is the largest coral reef ecosystem in the Atlantic Ocean.

E-LAW U.S. staff attorneys and scientists will continue working with Patricio and CEMDA to challenge projects which would damage the Mesoamerican Reef and other ecosystems in Mexico.

With support from the Summit Foundation, Lori Maddox, E-LAW U.S. Associate Director, and Vicky Cajiao, E-LAW U.S. Central America Coordinator, traveled to Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize in May 2003 to work with advocates who are protecting the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef.

Protecting Marine Environments in Brazil

E-LAW U.S. has many partners in Latin America working to protect marine ecosystems. In Brazil, E-LAW U.S. is working with advocates at APRENDER (Acoes para Preservacao dos Recursos Naturais e Desenvolvimento Econmico Racional), an organization in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina. E-LAW U.S. and APRENDER co-hosted a workshop in Florianopolis in May 2003 to educate citizens about Brazil`s environmental law and decisionmaking. APRENDER manages the Arvoredo Marine Reserve off Florianopolis and regards environmental education as an integral part of its management responsibilities. Support from the Ford Foundation made the May workshop possible.

Actun Tunichil Muknal
Trip Report
Candy Gonzalez in Belize

Exploring the Maya cave Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Crystal Sepulcher) is a worthwhile challenge. I joined members of the Cayo Tour Guide Association who had never been there. For starters, there is a two-meter deep pool in the entrance. We began the journey by swimming into the cave. The ascension upwards is beautifully set to the music of underground springs. It was dark and we each had a helmet and headlight. When we reached level ground, we took off our shoes so as not to disturb the Maya artifacts that were all around us. The cave is a 60 minute drive from San Ignacio, then a 45 minute walk with three river crossings.

Thomas Caratela, member of "We Belizians Against the Dam" or WeBAD. (photo: Candy Gonzales)

Archeology magazine writes:

"[Actun Tunichil Muknal] was named after the sacrificial chamber within the cave where the remains of a young woman were found. Fourteen burials have been found in Actun Tunichil Muknal. The cave also contains two slate stelae in front of which Maya elites cut themselves with obsidian blades to collect their blood and offer it to the gods. A stream flows out of this cave, providing the main water supply for the camp. Actun Tunichil Muknal also contains large broken pottery. Calcite from dripwater has encased many of these finds over the centuries."

A Canadian power company`s proposal to dam a branch of the Macal River in Belize has unleashed a barrage of criticism from environmentalists. Although the proposed Chalillo Dam would not affect this cave directly, a dam at Vaca, which is proposed to follow the Chalillo Dam, is in the watershed that feeds this cave and other caves, including those in Mountain Pine Ridge, the Rio On pools, and more.

"You don`t know what you`ve lost until it`s gone," is great incentive for us as we continue our struggle to stop the construction of the Chalillo Dam, which would only provide 7.3 megawatts (at most) and bolster electricity from the already failing Mollejon Dam (if we can believe the project proponents). The dam would flood 2,800 acres of pristine tropical forest, home to scarlet macaws, jaguars, Baird`s tapirs, ocelots, spider monkeys and many other irreplaceable species. To top it off, many unexplored archaeological sites would be drowned.

E-LAW U.S. staff attorneys and scientists have provided considerable legal and scientific support to advocates in Belize challenging the proposed Chalillo Dam project. In May 2000, the Belize government put the project on hold, pending new information. Outside magazine reports on the continuing struggle to stop the Chalillo Dam ("Last Flight Out," May 2003) and National Geographic Adventure magazine reports on Actun Tunichil Muknal and other ancient sacred caverns of the Belize jungle. ("Exploring the Place of Fright," July/August 2001).

Left to right: Jefferson Kamugisha (Uganda), Emmanuel Mutundu (Congo Brazzaville), Simon Amaduobogha (Nigeria)

Advocates Meet in Ghana to Discuss Climate Change

In May 2003, Jennifer Gleason, E-LAW U.S. Staff Attorney, traveled to Ghana to meet with African advocates and explore the role of law in protecting vulnerable African countries from the adverse effects of climate change. This work is generously supported by the Oak Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.