Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Mennonite communities are facing legal consequences after devastating thousands of hectares of Yucatan Peninsula jungle. The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) says they are in the process of filing seven criminal complaints against the communities for the illegal clearing of land.
The federal agency says the areas affected include the states of Yucatán, Campeche and Quintana Roo.
“The Sub-Attorney General’s Offices for Natural Resources and Litigation and Environmental Justice of the Federal Attorney General’s Office for Environmental Protection, in coordination with the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Investigation of Environmental Crimes (FEIDA) of the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR), have already filed two criminal complaints for the offense provided for and punishable in Article 418 of the Federal Penal Code.
“Five more are being prepared,” Profepa (Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente) reported.
The filing of the legal complaints began in July when federal inspectors confirmed the illegal cutting of jungle forest the month before. The first legal complaints filed were for illegal change of land use in forest lands they identified on properties in the municipality of Calakmul, state of Campeche, and the municipality of Tekax, state of Yucatán.
“Two additional criminal proceedings are being prepared related to other properties where illegal land use change activities were shut down on forest lands in the municipalities of Othón P. Blanco and José María Morelos in the state of Quintana Roo,” the agency stated.
“These are solidly substantiated criminal complaints for each of the closed properties,” the agency added, stemming from the deforestation operations on an area exceeding 2,608.9 hectares located in June.
According to Profepa federal inspectors, all the affected properties are located in areas where the Mennonite population is recorded.
A total of six special operations were carried out in June. Two in Calakmul and Hopelchén, Campeche, two in Tekax, Yucatán and two in José María Morelos and Othón P. Blanco, Quintana Roo.
In addition, Óscar Rébora, the state government’s Secretary of the Environment, reported that they are also working with Profepa on additional legal complaints and possible evictions of Mennonites in the municipality of Bacalar.
“We are looking for a strategy to evict them and restore these properties. Experts have told us that many of the pesticides they use are very hard on the soil so we will have to determine how much can be restored and how much cannot,” he said.
He explained that with the current federal administration, the government is working to get back the land and stop the devastation of jungle. He said the first action was to secure one of the affected properties, which was in Quintana Roo, where the closure seals have already been placed.
Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama says her government is also working with federal authorities to monitor the Mennonite communities for the planting of genetically modified (GM) corn, something that is a concern.
“It was one of the issues we discussed with Alicia Bárcena. We are working with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Agriculture given the suspicion that genetically modified corn could be planted,” she said.
Lezama explained that there is ongoing communication with federal authorities responsible for the environmental and agricultural sectors to address the effects caused by certain practices associated with the Mennonite communities.
