Xcacel Beach Needs Your Help
Protect the Sea Turtles of Xcacel
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For a long time development has gone on unchecked, changing the face of the beaches between Cancun and Belize. Another beach, Xcacel is currently under the threat of development, and as one of the last open space turtle nesting beaches, many people are signing a petition to protect it.
Sea Turtles lay their eggs on the beach. When the eggs break open, hatchlings follow the moon to find their way back to the sea. Lights on buildings are disorienting to baby turtles. People walking along the beach might step on them. For a long time a particular beach called Xcacel has been a protected nesting area. Now a development is threatening this beach.
The link below is to an organization that is taking the initiative to involve the public in a JUST SAY NO campaign. Please read the text below for information in English.
If you would like to just sign the petition (site is in Spanish)
go to http://xcacel.org/
On the left link near bottom click: FIRMA AQUI
Fill in your name and email address.
That's it. That simple. A moment of your time can make a huge difference.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE forward this information to everyone you know and let's make our voices heard to the Mexican government. Enough is enough.
Translated to English from www.xcacel.org
The turtles need you again!
PUNTA CAREY ENDANGERS SEA TURTLES AND WETLANDS AT XCACEL
-ONGs DEMAND THAT SEMARNAT REJECT THE AUTHORIZATION FOR DEVELOPMENT
Cancun, Quintana Roo.-In the 1990’s the Melia hotel group bought 3 of the 5 lots at Xcacel however, after the public outcry, Melia donated the land to the University of Quintana Roo. Now (2009) two different Mexican developers have bought the lots overlapping the Northern and Southern limits of Xcacel. Clearly, if a resort is built on either of these lots it will have a devastating impact on Xcacel! The lot that is located on the northern end of Xcacel was sold to the Punta Carey Business Trust.
Punta Carey Business Trust wants to build a development at Xcacel that would affect the adjoining sea turtle sanctuary, because the project does not have any beach access except the protected beaches inside the sanctuary, and wetlands. The environmental organizations Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambienta (Cemda), Grupo Cologista del Mayab (GEMA), Teyeliz, MOCE Yax Cuxtal, Defencers of Wildlife, Centro Ecologico Akumal and Greepeace Mexico have denounced the project and asked that the Secretaria de Medio Ambierte y Recursos Naturales (Semarnat) deny permission for the project.
X’Cacel-X’cacelito turtle sanctuary (1) is the main beach in the Mexican Caribbean where green and loggerhead sea turtles nest, both of which are in danger of extinction. Xcacel is recognized as an important wetland by the Ramsar Convention. Xcacel is also known for having a high diversity of flora and fauna. For example, Kuka palm (an endemic specie), as well as the chit palm, black and black mangroves are found at Xcacel and all of which as protected by Mexican environmental laws.
“This project does not guarantee the protection of the turtle sanctuary due to the fact that does not take in consideration that it is adjoining the turtle sanctuary. There is not in any part of the developers’ environmental impact study (EIS) that makes any reference to the impact that will be done by more than 400 tourists at the resort, plus the employees, the discharge of 124 thousand liters of waste water that the resort will generate and the lights that will affect the turtles, etc.” said Juan Carlos Cantu, Director of the program Defenders of Wildlife.
The developers plan on digging channels in the mangrove and building islands where cabins will be built. “The creation of the channels will affect the hydrologic flow of the mangrove; clearly a violation to the Article 60 of the General Wild Life Law and contravenes what is indicated in the decree that established X’cacel-X’cacelito as a protected natural area. (2). Also there is manipulation and false information about the land location, density and the destruction of the vegetation, therefore Semarnat has to deny the license according to the General Ecological Equilibrium and Environmental Protection Law” declared Alejandra Serrano, a Cemda represetantive.
The Punta Carey Business Trust is a company established on December 5, 2007 with the solo purpose of buying and developing the land at X’cacel-X’Cacelito next to the Marine Turtle Sanctuary - they do not have any experience in sustainable projects.
“X’Cacel-X’Cacelito has also a very important social importance as this is the lone place in all of northern Quintana Roo where local people carry out environmental education programs as well as scientific investigation. It is also the only place where many local families can spend a day enjoying beach, cenotes, and tropical rain forest safely and without the fear that a hotel guard will ask them to leave” said Araceli Dominguez, president of GEMA.
The project includes the construction of 30 apartments, 104 hotel rooms, club house, beach services, security control access office and roads on 26.05 hectares that will be located on the northern boundary of the marine turtle sanctuary.
“Being such a fragile zone, the development, even if it was a low impact one, will disturb the ecologic environment of this area, hence unbalancing all the biologic and hydrologic process. Previously, other projects have been rejected and this should not be the exception, that is why we demand that Semarnat should not authorize Punta Carey, that they leave this area free for the citizens of Quintana Roo and to respect the endangered species and the turtle sanctuary” declared Alejandro Olivera Greenpeace coordinator of oceans and coasts.
More information can be found at www.xcacel.org. There is also a link to sign a letter to the Mexican President and cc other Mexican authorities who are involved in this issue. To sign the letter click on “Firma Aquí” scroll down and inset your name in the space “Nombre completo” and fill in your email address in “Correo electrónico” and then click “Enviar Email” (Send Email). Gracias (Thanks)!!!!
UPDATE 10/09: It has been reported that Profepa closed down the Punta Carey project...its not over but a big win for all who made their voices heard. From a Riviera Maya forum: "There were a number of organizations getting word out and petitioning against Punta Carey... it was much bigger then just an email campaign... social networking at it's finest, groups reaching people who had never even stepped foot in "the Roo" too. Who knows if this is the real deal or not, but anyone who did sign a petition or tell 2 friends, even if this is a temporary hold, it does show that together we can do something."
Notes:
1.- Official Mexican Normative NOM-059-ECOL-2001, Species-environmental protection of Mexican native wild flora and fauna-Risk categories and specifications for its inclusion, exclusion or change- List of species in risk.
2.- Tenth Article of “Decrete that declares Natural Protected Area the region called as Xcacel-Xcacelito, with the category of Zone that is Subject to Ecological Conservation, Marine Turtle Sanctuary, in Municipio de Solidaridad, Quinta Roo”, published in the Official Government Newspaper on February 31, 1998, that mentions that this project is not allowed.
