Massive industrial fire in Mérida’s north continues to burn
A contingent of 150 firefighters has been working to temper the blaze and avoid its spread.
Sierra Papacal is as delicate as it is stunningly beautiful
What truly makes Sierra Papacal stand out are its gorgeous wetlands which provide water and shelter to hundreds of species of plants and animals.
Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico threatens Yucatán coast
Environmentalists warn that such a spill is likely to do a great deal of damage to ocean life.
New drone photos of Xiol strike quite the contrast
Vegetation and wildlife have made their way back to Xiol after a couple of years
Conservationists use AI to spot rare, wild jaguars in Yucatán
With the help of Huawei Cloud and artificial intelligence, they have identified at least five previously unseen jaguars in a nature reserve in Dzilam, Yucatán. The Tech4Nature Mexico project, launched last year in the Dzilam de Bravo nature reserve, analyzes images and sound data to identify and track jaguars and their prey, a team of nature conservation experts announced. The…
Tapirs take center stage in a new conservation initiative
Native to the Yucatán Peninsula and Central America, the tapir is a large and extremely endangered herbivorous mammal easily identifiable by its long snout.
USMCA panel to open environmental probe of Maya train
A trilateral commission established by the U.S., Mexico and Canada has recommended opening an investigation into the Maya Train. Environmentalists filed a complaint saying the Maya Train project threatens jungles and cenotes, according to the Associated Press. The cenotes have also yielded some of the oldest human remains found in North America. The train is…
Governor to give Yucatan perspective on major ‘Climate’ broadcast
Yucatán Gov. Mauricio Vila enters an international stage tonight when Washington Post Live broadcasts its “This is Climate” series. It’s major exposure for the former mayor of Mérida, who, as a popular governor, has even higher aspirations. Vila, 43, is No. 6 in this week’s Power Ranking index of presidential contenders. If he runs, he…
Why it’s unclear if Tulum’s new jaguar reserve is a real step forward for conservation
Known formally as the Jaguar Flora and Fauna Protection Area, the limits of the reserve are being walled off by a stone perimeter to avoid encroachment by developers and squatters.
Sargassum chases visitors off the beaches and into the cenotes
Historic levels of sargassum along the Mexican Caribbean coast during Holy Week have triggered an “unusual abundance” of tourists at Yucatán’s famous cenotes. “There were more people here in the area, throughout the cenote park, and in all other places,” a Maya priest named Freddy Orlando Coto told the EFE news agency. Orlando Coto, a…
Sea turtle hatchlings at risk when high season begins
With Easter Week, or Semana Santa, about to begin, Yucatán’s beaches prepare for high season. But holiday crowds on the coast make for a perilous time for Yucatán’s endangered sea turtles and the eggs they lay near the high-tide line. Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan A.C. is raising funds for an ongoing project that helps protect…
Fearing tourist trap, Sisal residents fight new beachfront project
Locals warn that if something is not done the very existence of their community is at stake.
Over 400 dolphins in Mexican tourist spots to be set free
Dolphins at dozens of tourist attractions in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo are set to be freed. The decision has come as the result of federal legislation banning zoos and aquariums from exhibiting and offering interactions with wild animals. The dolphins are to be released into the bay of Campeche where a federally enforced…
Returning to being parrots at Proyecto Santa Maria
Near Telchac Puerto, about an hour from Yucatán’s capital, an important project is being conducted to protect native parrots and return them to the wild. Proyecto Santa Maria involves both the conservation of birds and the preservation of the natural habitats in which they are found. Mexico has 22 species of parrots, four are found…
Pemex battles with scientists over methane-leak report
Pemex is refuting a scientific report tracing large methane emissions to an oil platform off the coast of Campeche. The state-owned oil company said the Spanish research paper published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters had mistakenly included nitrogen and other gases in their calculations. University scientists drew from satellite data that Pemex…
An overgrown, deep-sea curiosity found where asteroid struck Yucatán
A giant deep-sea relative of the common woodlouse or roly-poly has been discovered where an asteroid strike wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Measuring more than 10 inches long, the isopod, a new species, has 14 legs and is 25 times bigger than its little cousin — and it got that way from…
Mexico’s Caribbean coast continues to battle against record levels of seaweed
The presence of seaweed in the Caribbean is nothing new, but has increased dramatically over the past few years.
Yucatán’s amazing birds and where to find them
Several days of heavy rain have brought out our feathered friends in force, so get out there and enjoy them!
A colorful new book contains the most mesmerizing images of Yucatán’s pink flamingos
With the perspective of an insider, no other wildlife photographer could possibly have as comprehensive a catalog of flamingo images as Claudio Contreras Koob.
AMLO promises action against polluting pig farms in Yucatán
Yucatán’s status as one of Mexico’s large pork producers employs thousands across the state. But this is not without its problems. According to a recent report issued by Mexico’s federal government, a great many of these pig farms do not meet even the most minimal environmental standards. On the Peninsula, 85% of the 257 registered…
New law in Quintana Roo prohibits putting most wild animals on display
Federal laws protecting wild animals from public exhibitions have long been on the books.
AMLO: Environmental opposition to Mayan Train is all about politics
Amid growing criticism, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador came out Monday to defend his environmental record.
Modelo will make its 6-pack rings with barley and wood
Mexican beer brands are ditching the nasty plastic six-pack rings. Corona introduced packaging made of barley straw and recycled wood fibers in 2021. In January, parent company Grupo Modelo announced a $4 million investment to replace the hard-to-recycle plastic packaging with fiber-based materials. They are part of a larger trend in which more companies are…
Mayan Train protestors tie themselves to bulldozers, delaying new jungle path
Greenpeace organizers tied themselves to heavy machinery in Quintana Roo on Monday, the latest high-profile attempt to derail the Mayan Train. At issue was a modified route announced in January that tears apart miles of low jungle. Demonstrators stated the tracks between Cancún and Tulum have been hastily rerouted through virgin jungle without environmental studies….
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