COASTAL DEVELOPMENT RISKS IN THE SOUTHEAST REGION OF BCS

By: BCI (Based on Cabo Pulmo: cambio climático y exceso de turistas ponen en riesgo santuario marino en México )

The number of people living on the coasts of Baja California Sur has rapidly increased in recent decades, especially in the Southeast Region of the Peninsula, causing significant development of coastal areas and tourist developments that negatively impact the ocean through the destruction of our marine habitat and through run-off of sediments and pollution.

Our beautiful region has an extraordinary biological diversity unique in the world and Natural Protected Areas such as the Cabo Pulmo National Park, Sierra La Laguna Biosphere Reserve and Cerralvo Island; however, the pressure on natural resources increases day by day and the effect on ecosystems is manifested notably in the loss of species and the fragmentation of their habitat even in Natural Protected Areas such as Cabo Pulmo. Héctor Reyes Bonilla, one of the main experts in corals and marine ecosystems in Mexico, and BCI Board Member, expressed concern in an interview by Mongabay Latinamerica,  about the way in which climate change is already producing transformations in this sea and about the threat which represents the arrival of tourists, which round the 40,000 every year, exceeding the capacities of the protected area.

“With the ecological transformation of the Sea of Cortez, the fishing areas are changin. There are almost no squid anymore and the sardine is leaving," says the expert. "Those areas from which marlin and goldfish were taken are no longer in the Gulf of California because these species have moved to the Pacific side due to climate change, in the Magdalena Bay area," he says. In addition, he assures that "complete fishing fleets arrive from San Diego in that bay and nobody knows how much they take out and how it affects them, because nobody bothers them there".

Due to population growth, as well as the increase in private investment, in recent years greater environmental pressure has been detected on the coasts, which has brought new forms of occupation and use of natural resources and one of the main issues is the lack of water. 

 Tourism real estate development on the coasts (construction of basic infrastructure, hotels, condominiums, golf courses, marinas, complementary works, among others) cause strong environmental pressures on coastal ecosystems, which are considered fragile (mangroves, reefs, coastal dunes , marshes, etc.), mainly due to the lack of adequate planning and non-observance of environmental regulations by investors, since they develop their tourism projects without having federal environmental authorizations (authorization of environmental impact and change of use of forest land) and patrimonial (concession, permit or authorization). 

The Cabo Pulmo Vivo Coalition, where we collaborate with other civil society organizations, researchers, and community members to promote the protection of the natural and cultural heritage of the Southeast Region; in particular, the Cabo Pulmo National Park, has been monitoring the increase of projects authorized and in revision and the numbers are worrying.

From the heritage point of view, tourism development has generated:

• Illegal occupation of the federal maritime land zone (ZOFEMAT) and land reclaimed from the sea (TGM), both by nationals and foreigners.

• Failure to comply with the provisions of the instruments that protect the use, enjoyment or benefit of the ZOFEMAT and the TGM.

• Properties that, due to lack of access, turn public beaches into private ones.

• Real estate companies, which do not guide their buyers about the obligations established by law and the concession title with respect to the ZOFEMAT.

Another main concern is that In the municipality of Los Cabos, the city council has advanced a road project that facilitates access to the marine park under the premise of connecting all the areas of the demarcation and promoting economic and social development. Although the project has environmental authorizations, the construction of this road worries scientists and locals who foresee an even greater increase in visitors to the already overcrowded protected area. The paved road is already close, in the town of La Rivera.

One of the most worrying cases at the moment, is that of El Rincon GRE project which is under revision, for its dangerous proximity to the National Park and its location in a community that has no capacity and resources to manage the amount of people that will migrate there, the waste that will be produced and the water that will be needed.

We need to develop systematic surveillance actions, special operations and instrumentation of promotion with mechanisms for compliance with environmental and heritage regulations that allow promoting compliance with applicable legislation.

The implementation of policies and actions of inspection, surveillance and verification of the works and activities that are the responsibility of the federation but should integrate the participation of the different sectors of the population, to increase the level of observance of environmental legislation, mainly in the main tourist spots of the region´s beaches, as well as to achieve important advances in the protection and conservation of natural resources present in our coastal ecosystems considered fragile, through restoration activities and compensation for damages caused by offenders.