The Punta Colorada area in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, declared an ecological reserve, faces a serious threat. Organizations such as the Palmarito Turtle Camp and the Salvemos Colorada collective denounced the state government’s plans to develop high-impact real estate projects in the area.
This reserve is crucial for regional biodiversity, home to four species of sea turtles, two of which are considered critically endangered. Activists directly accuse the Oaxaca government of wanting to destroy 111 hectares of this natural sanctuary.
The situation intensified last September when thousands of trees were felled in the reserve. The initial justification was the construction of a barracks for the state police.
María Almendra Gómez, of Salvemos Colorada, reported that the following day, PROFEPA (Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection) shut down the construction site and confirmed that the barracks lacked the necessary building permits. Environmentalists condemned the act as an “ecocide” and a “dispossession” of the community.
Residents and activists filed numerous injunctions that, for years, have protected the area from any construction.
Despite the courts granting these injunctions, the state government maintains its ownership of the land and proceeded to devastate the area, disobeying existing court orders. The locals accuse public officials and state secretaries of acting with impunity and without any consequences.
The residents of Puerto Escondido have been protecting Punta Colorada from various interests for over 20 years. Abraham Clavel, a local resident, recalled that the area has been coveted by previous administrations, but accuses the current government of Salomón Jara of being the only one that dares to commit such excesses.
Clavel expressed his concern about the irony of a government that promotes “transformation” while committing acts of environmental devastation. They fear that political power has co-opted judges and legislators, undermining their ability to defend themselves legally.
Despite the fear of impunity and the fact that legal injunctions will no longer be effective, the defenders of Punta Colorada assert that they will continue fighting on both the legal and social fronts.
The main objective is to ensure that the four species of sea turtles (two of them critically endangered) retain their vital territory and can survive. The community is resisting to prevent high-impact projects from displacing all the species that inhabit this unique ecosystem.
Source: tvazteca
