Greenpeace Slams Mayan Train Project Wildlife Management

Greenpeace has expressed concern over the management of wildlife in the Mayan Jungle due to the practices implemented by the Secretary of National Defense and the Mayan Train S.A. de C.V. company. The international organization criticized the project for labeling wildlife as "harmful" and permitting their repulsion, capture, or even killing, which they believe could endanger the railway operations of the large-scale project.

Greenpeace emphasized that these actions demonstrate a concerning lack of environmental planning and a disregard for scientific warnings about habitat fragmentation. They noted that this could severely impact the jaguar, a species crucial for the ecological balance in the Yucatan Peninsula. The organization also raised concerns about the felling of over 10 million trees, the absence of consultation with indigenous communities, and the breach of essential environmental regulations for the Mayan Jungle ecosystem.

The NGO is calling on the federal government to implement policies that ensure the conservation of the jaguar and its ecosystem. They are also urging the Mexican Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) to halt wildlife containment practices. In a public letter, Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society asked Claudia Sheinbaum, the Mayor of Mexico City, and Semarnat to intervene to prevent an ecological disaster due to the wildlife containment practices of the Mayan Train project.

United for Sustainable Management of Our Biodiversity A.C. (UNBIO), another non-governmental organization, has reported the Secretary of National Defense to the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) for actions that pose a threat to the wildlife and flora of the Mayan Jungle.

UNBIO has also requested Sheinbaum to cancel a contract with a company that they believe lacks the technical and ethical experience needed to manage wildlife. The organization emphasized that the region where the train is planned to pass is home to 70% of the country's flora and fauna species, including iconic species and those at risk of extinction like the jaguar. They are calling for ethical and sustainable wildlife management in the Mayan Train project, to mitigate damage to ecosystems and affected species, and to ensure transparency in procedures related to environmental impact.

In a public letter, they called for the preservation of Mayan wildlife and an end to actions that threaten its balance.