At the end of 2024, between Las Palmas and next to the La Reforma stream in the Todos Santos oasis, construction began on 16 luxurious condominiums for The Palmoral project, without environmental authorization from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) for the removal of vegetation or the construction of a coastal ecosystem.
For this violation of the General Law on Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection (LGEEPA), and resulting from at least three complaints and citizen pressure, on May 26, 2026, the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) decided to impose a fine and ordered the total temporary closure of the project and its regularization before Semarnat or the restoration of the site to its original form.
“If Semarnat resolves the procedure in a negative way, it must restore the site to its base state within 30 business days,” the resolution states.
Organizations such as Protect Todos Santos point out that, although the sanction is a citizen triumph, it is insufficient, since they expected a definitive closure and an order to restore the ecosystem. In addition, they point out that the sanction did not contemplate other crimes reported by citizens, such as the removal of vegetation, the introduction of exotic vegetation and the diversion of the stream.
“It seems to us that this is not an exhaustive resolution, but rather that it is very limited compared to what was actually being demanded,” Ramírez said.
With the regulation of Profepa, The Palmoral has 180 business days from when they were notified of the resolution to file an Environmental Impact Statement with Semarnat to seek environmental authorization, so this project, which has faced great citizen resistance in the town of Todos Santos, could be reactivated.
For this article, an interview was requested from Berenice Ramírez, head of the representative office of Profepa in BCS, but it has not been finalized so far; it has also been requested from the company Morocco Bereber and Santa Terra Reserve, of which The Palmoral is part, together with Oystera, Vino Park, and other projects, but there was no response.
The Palmoral project that is part of the Santa Terra Reserve. Source: MexHome.
A sanction that is not enough
“This sanction is insufficient because a very sensitive ecosystem that has several socio-ecological services is being altered,” said Diego Ramírez Meza, executive director of Protect Todos Santos.
The palm grove is where the Todos Santos aquifer recharges and is also a habitat for endemic and endangered species such as the peninsular mascarita. It also has historical value because it is one of the first systems that facilitated sedentary life in the region: the oasis, as it is called from the academy.
Oases are ecological systems composed of bodies of water and areas of vegetation located in arid areas, created to facilitate agriculture in the desert.
“The Palmoral diverted the stream, introduced vegetation that didn't exist in that ecosystem and deforested palm trees. He built and is building concrete works inside the palm grove, which is a flooded area and cuts off water flow. And it symbolically violates the identity and history of the people. Reducing all this to closing a project and giving them the opportunity to become regular, it seems to us that the resolution of Profepa is very limited and that it does not comply with the demands of the community,” says Ramírez.
The complainants demand that the demolition of the works that currently occupy 400 square meters be ordered and the restoration of the site be ordered.
“A work that begins to be built without environmental permits must be categorically sanctioned with a definitive cancellation and an order must be ordered to restore the ecosystem to its natural state,” Ramírez said.
As well as the delimitation of the La Reforma stream channel by La Conagua, so that the water flow that runs through the entire palm grove to La Poza in front of private property is preserved.
The future of Palmoral and other projects
After this resolution, The Palmoral must enter the environmental impact assessment process before Semarnat to evaluate if the project is environmentally viable or not.
“The call is to be alert as citizens, and we urge Semarnat not to grant any authorization to this project and that what it seeks is the restoration of the ecosystem; and the municipal government, not to grant a construction permit. We are not going to settle for anything else,” Ramírez said.
According to Ramírez, The Palmoral project has no possibility of obtaining authorization, since it violates the previous and current PDU, which state that permanent buildings are not allowed inside the palmar.
“This situation is an example of a struggle that society is carrying out against the government's permissiveness in the face of this development, and it is at the same time a reference for other projects that seek to settle in Todos Santos, such as El Destino, Mar Plata Sur, Cabo Santos, among others,” said Ramírez.
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