In April 2022, Mexico witnessed a momentous shift in its environmental and economic policy. The federal administration, headed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, decided to condition the authorization of a controversial plan on the definitive cancellation of extractive operations that were having a profound impact on the ecosystem of a vast expanse of land in Quintana Roo. This requirement was accompanied by a bold offer: to purchase more than 2,000 hectares of land previously concessioned to the Calica company, with the intention of transforming it into a natural park and, in this way, preserve the region’s biodiversity.
Calica, a limestone quarrying company, categorically rejected this proposal, which marked the beginning of a conflict that culminated in the closure of its facilities by the Procuraduria Federal de Proteccion al Ambiente (PROFEPA) on May 6 of the same year. From that moment on, the Calica case came under the jurisdiction of the Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT), whose head, Maria Luisa Albores, undertook the commitment to comply with the President’s instructions to expand nature reserves and guarantee the preservation of protected areas in Mexico.
Recently, a transcendental declaration for environmental conservation in Mexico was published in the Official Journal of the Federation. 13 new nature reserves were announced on FONATUR properties, strategically distributed in Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Guerrero, Oaxaca and Quintana Roo. This announcement marked a milestone in the fight to protect the biological and ecosystemic wealth that characterizes these regions of the country.
In line with these events, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador expressed his intention to issue a decree declaring as protected natural areas those areas of Calica that have not yet suffered the ravages of limestone extraction. This act, which would be a sort of de facto expropriation, has as its central purpose the recovery of the areas that have been heavily impacted, to be transformed into an ecotourism park administered by the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA). In addition, it seeks to recover the private maritime terminal of Punta Venado and prevent the U.S. company from continuing to operate in the country.
Vulcan Materials, through its subsidiary SAC-TUN, has exploited vast areas of jungle, subway rivers, cenotes and mangroves in Quintana Roo for 36 years to extract limestone for export to the United States. This extractive process has had major environmental consequences, including the contamination of water with nitrates and other substances due to the continuous use of explosives.
However, the devastation goes beyond this. The mining activity has had a devastating impact on the site’s biodiversity, affecting a total of 942 species, including fauna and flora, among which are some endangered species. This ecological disaster is considered one of the largest caused by a foreign company in the Yucatan Peninsula and, in particular, in the Riviera Maya.
In addition to environmental degradation, SAC-TUN has engaged in illegal practices, such as retaining groundwater on a considerably larger scale than authorized, which has caused subsidence and collapse in the area. Despite the obvious damage caused to the natural environment, the company has not carried out environmental remediation works in the area, which further aggravates the situation.
Faced with this critical juncture, President López Obrador questions the U.S. company’s position on climate change and raises the urgent need to act in defense of the environment. In this line, he proposes the purchase of the land and its subsequent conversion into nature reserves, with the aim of preserving biodiversity and avoiding future exploitation that could irreparably damage the delicate ecosystem of the region.
The Calica case, beyond a local conflict, represents a symbol of the growing environmental awareness in Mexico and the world. The struggle for the preservation of the environment, biodiversity and the mitigation of the negative impacts of human activity on nature is a global challenge. It is a call for responsibility, action and joint efforts to ensure a sustainable and balanced future for generations to come. This case invites us to reflect on the importance of prioritizing the protection of our natural environment over short-term economic interests, in order to ensure a lasting and healthy environmental legacy for future generations.
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