The Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, Alicia Bárcena, said that liquefied natural gas projects located in Sonora, with an exit to the Gulf of California, remain under evaluation, while projects located in northern Baja California are moving forward.
The statement occurred during the Alliances for Nature summit, convened by Salesforce, Grupo Bimbo and the Mexican Alliance for Ecosystem Restoration (AMERE), where the official spoke about the federal government's environmental priorities and answered questions about different infrastructure and restoration projects.
When questioned about liquefied natural gas projects in the Gulf of California, Bárcena distinguished between developments in Baja California, such as the so-called Energía Costa Azul (ECA LNG) in Ensenada, and those located in Sonora, such as the Sonora-Saguaro Energía LNG Terminal and the American Mexican Integrated Gas Operations terminal (AMIGO Project) .
“Those in northern Baja California are making headway. Those go straight out to sea. No, those don't concern us as much as those that are in Sonora, which go out to the Gulf of California. Those are under evaluation,” he answered the question from CN Media.
He was also asked if that evaluation is related to concerns about the effects that these projects could have on whales. “That's precisely why they are being evaluated. We have not yet given the authorizations for these projects,” he replied.
Ohuira Bay, under a restoration plan
Regarding the environmental conflict in Ohuira Bay, in Topolobampo, Sinaloa, over the Western Gas and Petrochemical Plant (GPO) project, Bárcena noted that Semarnat's responsibility in the process is to draw up a restoration plan.
The official explained that five working groups were held with the communities and that the monitoring of the process is carried out by a representative of the Presidency, Mauricio Rodríguez Alonso. “And what Semarnat has to do is make a plan for the restoration of Ohuira Bay.”
“What I want is for Ohuira Bay to be restored. With or without a company, however, but that bay has to function again as a Ramsar zone,” said Bárcena.
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Mahahual and the ban on mining in the ANP
At the summit, she was also questioned about Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day tourism project in Mahahual, Quintana Roo. Bárcena explained that the company withdrew from the project that was under evaluation and that, for the time being, it has not been approved.
“The project is not going the way it is for now, it's not going.” He explained that if the company intends to develop a project again in Mahahual, it will have to submit a new proposal and meet the criteria established for the area.
“They would have to submit a new proposal, right? But it has to fit the criteria that we have set in the Mahahual area, which are criteria of ecological tourism, of community tourism, that there is benefit for communities,” he said.
Bárcena added that the agency's intention is for tourism development to generate benefits for the local population. “We don't want tourism development that leaves nothing to the local community.”
During the meeting, he was also asked about the federal government's position on mining in protected natural areas. Bárcena defended the decree that prohibits exploration, exploitation and mining activities within these areas. “The mining decree that we issued to prohibit exploration, exploitation and extraction in protected natural areas is very important to us.”
The Secretary considered that this measure represents a significant change in the protection of these territories.
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Technology and environmental strategy
The summit was organized by Salesforce, an American company dedicated to technology, together with Grupo Bimbo and the Mexican Alliance for Ecosystem Restoration. During the opening, Salesforce presented a plan for restoration and conservation as part of its global sustainability strategy. The company noted that, through its Nature Positive strategy, it seeks to use technology, resources and alliances to support environmental actions.
During the meeting, collaboration between companies, conservation organizations, governments, scientists and communities was highlighted as a way to expand restoration projects. María José Villanueva, director general of WWF Mexico and representative of AMERE, said that the alliance seeks to build a restoration agenda with a long-term vision and to bring together the capacities of organizations from different sectors.
Villanueva argued that restoration should cover different ecosystems and not be limited to planting trees. “Restoration goes far beyond forests, it goes to our mangroves, it goes to our reefs, it goes to our fisheries, it's going to return wildlife.”
He also stated that restoration should be linked to the international goal of conserving 30 percent of the territories and restoring another 30 percent. The representative of AMERE called for expanding business participation in these efforts and stressed that the alliance already has civil organizations, companies, scientists and government representatives.
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