Semarnat authorizes Phase 1 of the Mayan Train and the felling of 800 hectares of jungle Semarnat authorizes phase 1 of the Mayan Train and the felling of 800 hectares

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) authorized the Environmental Impact of phase 1 of the Mayan Train project, which will run from Palenque, Chiapas to Izamal, Yucatán. With this, it also allows the felling of 800 hectares of jungle.

The Environmental Impact of phase 1 was delivered on December 1 last and indicates that the loss of vegetation cover due to the implementation of the project is 800.95 hectares, “affectation of forest mass that will contribute to the emission of carbon, considered one of the causes of climate change ”.

However, Semarnat justified that with measures such as the program of reforestation and relocation of species “any modification to the microclimate will be restored” and the climatic conditions will recover their original state.

The document reports that this secretariat “considers that the development of the project does not compromise the functional integrity of the ecosystems present in the Regional Environmental System, nor will it generate relevant environmental impacts. To them, which could cause an ecological imbalance.

Read: More than 2,000 archaeological remains found in the construction of the Mayan Train in Campeche

“In addition to the above, the prevention, mitigation and compensation measures proposed by the promoter will be applied to ensure the maintenance of the diversity of resources.”

In the document of more than 500 pages, 16 conditions are postulated for the construction of this work in terms of environmental impact and its authorization will be valid for three years, one year and six months for the repair of the site and 50 years for its validity. operation.

The Mayan Train will cross through protected areas such as the Catazajá and La Libertad Lagoon System in Chiapas and Tabasco; the Cenote Ring Ramsar site in Yucatán and the Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve in Campeche.

The National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (Fonatur) will be in charge of following up on the agreements of the indigenous consultation held in November and December of last year on the Mayan Train project, and complying with them, according to agreement 169 of the ILO.