DEVELOPMENT THREATENS RESERVE
05.31.07 - Leído 94 veces. Enviar esta notaThe construction of two resorts on the Pacific coast of Jalisco represents a serious threat to the ChamelaCuixmala biosphere reserve, according to a recent study
GUADALAJARA, Jal; 31 mayo 2007.- At a news conference on Tuesday, University of Guadalajara rector Carlos Briseño released the results of the investigation conducted by a group of experts, who found that the resort projects would carry with them very high institutional, social and environmental costs.
The academic said the Mexican federal Environment Secretariat (Semarnat) issued permits to two companies so they could begin construction of the projects known as Marina Careyes and La Tambora.
The study said that construction of a marina for 161 yachts and more than 1,000 rooms in an area of approximately 256 hectares (632 acres) will destroy wetlands and mangrove swamps and over-exploit aquifers that do not have sufficient reserves for so many people.
In the Chamela preserve, the experts have documented 19 species of amphibians, 68 types of reptiles, as well as 270 bird and 70 mammal species, a good number of them endemic to the region.
Briseño said the reserve is also a fish- and crustacean-breeding area of commercial importance.
He said almost 90 percent of the land area set aside for development is jungle and that almost half of that ecosystem - considered a biological corridor - would be in danger.
According to the rector, the yacht jetty would be located one mile from the Teopa beach, where marine turtles spawn, even though international regulations stipulate a minimum distance of four miles.
Briseño called on Semarnat and the office of the federal prosecutor for environmental protection to reconsider the authorizations for the resort projects.
(The Herald)
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