Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Federal inspectors say they have shut down 17 Mennonite properties for illegal land clearing. All 17 land closures, which total over 3,700 hectares, are in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Profepa (the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection), says from June 15 to August 31, 2025, the Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente (Profepa) carried out 17 inspections.
Those inspections were carried out on forest lands in the states of Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatan with the support of National Guard, the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) and state security forces.
During the inspections, deforestation and land use changes were detected without authorization from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), which led to the closure of the 17 properties. Profepa reported that the forest had been illegally cleared to allow the planting of agro-industrial monocultures, primarily by Mennonite communities.
In the municipality of Hopelchén, Campeche, two properties in the Xmaben and Francisco J. Mújica ejidos were closed, affecting 247.8 hectares. Heavy track-type machinery was also seized.
In the state of Yucatan, in the municipality of Tekax, properties were closed in the Nohalal, Emiliano Zapata and Poccheil ejidos, affecting 968.6 hectares. In addition, a Caterpillar D8, a backhoe, a well drill and three farm tractors were seized.
In Quintana Roo, properties were inspected in José María Morelos, Bacalar and the Bala’an K’aax Flora and Fauna Protection Area, where a change in land use was detected on 2,531.1 hectares. A tractor with a sprayer was also seized.
In total, 17 properties were closed, affecting 3,747.5 hectares of forest. Of those lands, 247.8 hectares were affected in the state of Campeche, 2,531.1 in Quintana Roo and 968.6 in Yucatan.
As part of its efforts to halt the destruction of the rainforest, Profepa convened a Roundtable to combat illegal logging and deforestation in the state of Quintana Roo. This coordinated effort involves environmental and security authorities from all levels of government to halt the accelerated illegal land-use changes occurring in the state’s rainforests.
Mariana Boy Tamborrell, Federal Environmental Protection Attorney, said “in addition to the closures, we have opened administrative proceedings in all of these cases and, to date, have filed 13 criminal complaints.
“We are committed to working in coordination with institutions at all levels to stop these illegal clearings and move toward obtaining exemplary sanctions for those who destroy forests and to establish processes for restoring native vegetation.”
The Attorney General’s Office will continue its ongoing inspection and monitoring activities in the region to curb environmental impacts on forest ecosystems, ensure compliance with environmental legislation, and seek reparations for the damage caused.
In August, Profepa officials created a roundtable to discuss the illegal deforestation. The group specifically discussed curbing the destruction by Mennonites in Quintana Roo, destruction that has been dubbed the “Mennonite Footprint”.
