How Las Dunas Went From Rejected to Approved

Before Las Dunas could be shut down, it first had to be approved — and that approval came only after Mexico’s environment ministry had already rejected it once.

Semarnat, the federal environment secretariat, turned down the Las Dunas tourist complex in 2023, when Progreso’s urban development plan classified the Chuburná Puerto site as highly vulnerable. That designation changed after the municipal plan was revised. With updated municipal and state findings in hand, developer Designia Desarrollos returned with a new application. Yucatán’s Secretariat of Sustainable Development and its urban mobility institute, known as Imdut, signed off on land-use compatibility starting in November 2024, and Semarnat granted conditional federal approval in April 2025. Site work began in mid-July of this year.

Three days after work began, banners reading “Clausurado” appeared on the property, along with Profepa’s logo. At the time, it wasn’t clear what had happened. No machinery or crews were on site, but the agency had issued no public statement, and local reporters who visited could only confirm that the seals were there — not whether the closure was temporary, permanent or tied to a specific violation.

What Changed by Sunday

That changed Sunday. Profepa issued a formal announcement confirming the total temporary closure and, for the first time, laying out what its inspectors had found. Between July 28 and 30, the agency conducted environmental and forestry reviews and documented the removal of 1.3 hectares (3.2 acres) of vegetation, about 30.8% of the area authorized for the change in land use, as PorEsto reported.

Inspectors found wild cotton and the pol tsakam, or cat’s head cactus, growing on site — both protected under Mexico’s NOM-059 wildlife standard and neither disclosed in the project’s environmental impact statement or rescue plan. They also confirmed the presence of protected animals, including the striped iguana, the Yucatán wren and the Mexican sheartail hummingbird, along with orchids, bromeliads, agaves and cacti found wilting outside the areas set aside for their relocation. Profepa said the damage affected roughly half of the cleared land and described it as an irreversible loss to the coastal dune ecosystem.

Legal Stakes Are Rising

Sunday’s statement also went further than the July 30 seals had suggested, citing violations of Mexico’s sustainable forestry law and warning that the case could be referred for criminal prosecution under the federal penal code, on top of the administrative proceeding already underway.

Still unresolved is whether the closure is a lasting stop or a pause before work resumes. Profepa’s own language — “clausura temporal total” — signals a temporary measure, and past cases of this kind in the region have sometimes ended with construction restarting after fines or corrective plans. The agency’s Sunday statement focused on documenting what inspectors found rather than announcing what comes next.

Public Pressure Behind the Scenes

The closure follows weeks of public pressure. Nearly 200 people gathered at Mérida’s Monumento a la Patria on Friday, demanding a permanent halt and restoration of the damaged land. The collective Salvemos Las Dunas has circulated an online petition against the project, which Yucatán Magazine covered last month. The state government had separately asked Semarnat and Profepa to verify the project’s compliance, noting that its own permits require full conservation of the site’s wetland and mangrove.

Fast Facts

• Project: Las Dunas tourist complex, Chuburná Puerto, Progreso municipality
• Size: 92,017 square meters (22.7 acres); 138 planned apartments in 14 towers
• Developer: Designia Desarrollos
• Timeline: Rejected by Semarnat in 2023; approved April 2025; construction began mid-July 2026
• Cleared so far: 1.3 hectares (3.2 acres), about 31% of authorized area
• Status: Temporary total closure confirmed Aug. 2, 2026, by Profepa
• Possible next steps: Continued administrative proceedings; possible referral for criminal prosecution under Article 420 of the federal penal code

With information from Profepa and reporting from Diario de Yucatán and PorEsto!