Environmental conservation and regulation in Quintana Roo

Environmental conservation and regulatory actions are being intensified in the Mexican Caribbean to protect coastal and marine ecosystems.

In the Cancún and Puerto Morelos areas, hotels have begun reforestation strategies using native plant species to stabilize sand dunes against erosion and sargassum impact. Some establishments have invested 800,000 pesos into internal nurseries and irrigation systems. Additionally, the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp) has imposed a temporary tourism ban in parts of the Cozumel Reef National Park to allow coral colonies to recover from diseases such as white syndrome.

Following these conservation efforts, federal authorities have taken stricter enforcement measures against large-scale developments. The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) rejected four major tourism and real estate projects in Playa del Carmen and Puerto Morelos, totaling over 8.1 billion pesos, citing risks to mangrove ecosystems. Furthermore, the Macondo Playacar development in Playa del Carmen was seized and closed by federal agencies following investigations into the unauthorized removal of mangroves and native vegetation.