A planned US$2 billion tourism development with 15 hotels in Baja California has been scuttled by Mexican President Felipe Calderón.
Apparently, the government bowed to pressure from environmentalists who argued the plan would threaten nearby coral reefs.
The Cabo Cortes project being developed by Spain’s Hansa Urbana on the southeastern tip of Baja is located just 6 miles (9 km) from the Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park and its coral reef system.
Calderón, although in his final year as Mexico’s president, has pledged to help investors develop a more sustainable project on the 10,000 acre (4,046 hectare) site, while Hansa Urbana is expected to submit a more balanced plan that would put more emphasis on environmental sustainability.
Mexico’s environment ministry first approved the project in 2008 and Calderón’s announcement caps years of legal battles over permits that were granted and then revoked due to environmental concerns.
“We consider it a great achievement for all the citizens who voted for the conservation of Cabo Pulmo,” said Alejandro Olivera of Greenpeace Mexico.