The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) has officially rejected the controversial tourism and real estate project “Santuario del Tío Checo,” located in the Cabo del Este area of the municipality of Los Cabos. Although the administrative ruling represents a legal setback for the developers’ plans in the short term, the Citizens’ Front in Defense of Water and Life (Freciadav) has issued a clear warning: victory should not be declared, as they believe this project was merely a “smokescreen.”
What lies behind this decision? For activists and land defenders in Baja California Sur, the rejection of the Santuario del Tío Checo project could be a distraction tactic to divert attention from deeper interests in the area. Citizen demands have intensified, escalating to a direct demand to the Mexican government: the immediate expropriation of the property known as “Nuestra Señora del Rosario” to guarantee its permanent protection.
The struggle for land ownership and ecological preservation in this region is not new. Opponents argue that as long as the land remains in private hands for speculative purposes, the risk of new projects that threaten the water balance and biodiversity of Los Cabos will remain. Distrust of environmental authorities persists, as in the past, rejected projects have returned with new names or minor modifications to their Environmental Impact Statements (EIS).
The focus of civil resistance has shifted to the Nuestra Señora del Rosario property, an area that environmentalists consider strategic for aquifer recharge and the conservation of the natural landscape of Baja California Sur. Historically, real estate pressure in Baja California Sur has attempted to fragment these large tracts of land for ultra-luxury developments, leading to the displacement of local communities and a de facto privatization of access to the federal maritime-terrestrial zone.
Statistics from civil organizations indicate that the Cabo del Este area is one of the most targeted by foreign and domestic capital. The demand for expropriation is based on “public utility,” a legal concept that would allow the Mexican State to take control of the land and convert it into an ecological protection zone, thus preventing the specter of Tío Checo or any other similar development from returning to threaten the ecosystem.
While the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) files the current case, the communities of La Paz and Los Cabos remain on high alert. They urge everyone not to let their guard down with federal institutions, as the history of Baja California Sur is marked by temporary victories that end in territorial concessions years later. True protection, they assert, will come from a decree that permanently removes these lands from the real estate market.
Source: tribunademexico
