Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — The Jaguar Wildlife Center organization has said that the new section 5 north and and section 5 south Maya Train routes will have various negative environmental impacts.
According to the NGO, the project will fragment the territory, “favoring the reduction of forest cover, the isolation of populations of flora and fauna, the interruption of biological corridors, the change of microclimates and the transformation of habitat.”
They also said the train will produce depletion and contamination of the aquifer of the Yucatan Peninsula since section 5 south, which includes Playa del Carmen to Tulum, will pass over numerous cave systems including Sac Mul, Sac Actun, Dos Ojos and Xunan Ha.
“It is an immense reserve of fresh and pristine water that maintains an ecological and hydrogeological balance, which in turn, supports important ecosystems such as wetlands and the Mesoamerican reef which are carbon sinks,” they organization said in a statement.
They also say that the 120-kilometer stretch between Cancun and Tulum will cause the extinction of flora and fauna and are urgin President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to carry out a consultation with the indigenous peoples and communities.
Last week, the National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI) ordered the National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (Fonatur) to report on the environmental impact study that should already have been carried out for the construction of the Maya Train. INAI has asked that Fonatur detail how the flora and fauna lost at the time of construction will be replaced.
Earlier this week, Playa del Carmen mayor Lili Campos announced a new section 5 north route for the city. She said that after a city council meeting, Fonatur has been granted permission to begin a study to determine the impact the train will have running through the Villas del Sol area of Playa del Carmen.
