Environment Ministry declares 3 Maya communities natural protected areas

March 18, 2025

Mexico's Environment Minister, Alicia Barcena, a middle-aged woman with graying hair stands next to an unidentified Mexican man holding a framed enlarged document of certification of Sacpukenha as one of three new Maya protected areas. Around them are other people smiling into the camera. — Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena, second from left, presenting a certificate to Sacpukenhá, Yucatan, designating the Maya community as a protected area. With her is Yucatan Gov. Joaquín Díaz Mena, right. (@aliciabarcena/X)

Three Maya communities in the state of Yucatán have been added to the list of Protected Natural Areas (ANP) by Mexico’s Environment and Natural Resources Ministry (Semarnat).

The head of the ministry, Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, was joined by Yucatán Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena in presenting certificates to the ejidos (communally owned lands) of Sacpukenhá, Chan Dzitnup and San Agustín, recognizing the efforts of Maya communities who — on their own initiative — have opted to carry out conservation actions in the area.

Decorative, three-dimensional sign for the Yucatan municipality of Tekax, home to three Maya communities that have been made natural protected areas by Mexico's federal government. — All three protected areas are Maya communities on communally owned land, located in the municipality of Tekax. (Wikimedia Commons)

An ejido is a form of communal land tenure in Mexico, primarily used for agriculture. The three awardees are all located in the municipality of Tekax.

“These areas are a clear example that conservation is not only the government’s responsibility, but a collective effort where Indigenous peoples, social organizations and committed citizens become guardians of our environment,” Bárcena stated during the Monday ceremony in San Agustín.

Last year, Bárcena attended a conference in Colombia and addressed plans to expand Mexico’s protected lands through partnerships with Indigenous communities.

The certificates were presented within the Puuc State Biocultural Reserve, a unique area that highlights the interplay between the environment and culture in the region. This reserve is the first to receive the “biocultural” designation, emphasizing the influence of natural resources on the worldview, artistic expressions and religious practices of the Maya communities.

According to a press release from October, Mexico has more than 230 federally protected natural areas (ANPs), each managed by the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp). Including national parks, biosphere reserves and designated areas that protect flora, fauna and other natural resources, these lands comprise a total of 98 million hectares, roughly the size of the state of Oregon.

Governor Díaz Mena emphasized that the new protected areas are part of Yucatán’s natural heritage and Maya identity, which must be preserved for future generations. The areas also support local economies by promoting sustainable tourism and agriculture, he added.

Piece of Mayan forest land in Yucatan, part of the Puuc Biocultural Reserve protected area, partially cleared by heavy machinery seen in the foreground. Men in red uniform polo shirts are placing official seals declaring the work stoppage. There are bulldozed trees everywhere in the photo lying on the ground. — The environmental measures taken independently by the three Maya communities are perhaps all the more impressive given how about two hours north, in the community of San Antonio, environmental officials had to step in earlier this month to stop illegal land clearing. The town is located within the Puuc Biocultural Reserve. (Profepa)

“Yucatán is a natural heritage that will also be a legacy for your children and grandchildren,” he said.

The Federal Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection (Profepa) recently closed forestry activities in the Puuc Biocultural Reserve due to illegal land use changes, the agency announced in a March 3 press release.

Profepa inspectors found two sites with unauthorized clearing of natural vegetation and seized heavy machinery used in that activity. The transgressions occurred in the municipality of Tekax.

“The ultimate goal of our procedure is for those responsible to repair the damage,” said Mariana Boy Tamborell, a federal attorney for environmental protection who was also involved in last week’s story about Profepa shutting down dolphin shows at the Hotel Barceló in the Riviera Maya.

“This action underscores the ongoing efforts to balance environmental protection with community needs in the region, ensuring that conservation efforts benefit both the environment and local communities,” Boy added.

With reports from La Jornada and Imagen Radio