The citizen group fighting the Las Dunas real estate project in Chuburná Puerto has filed a formal complaint with Profepa, Mexico’s federal environmental enforcement agency, asking it to speed up its investigation and punish those responsible for damage to the coastal dunes.
Salvemos las Dunas filed the complaint, known in Mexican law as a denuncia popular, together with the Mexican Center for Environmental Law, a nonprofit known by its Spanish initials, Cemda. It names no defendant. Instead, it targets whoever is found responsible for the acts and omissions that harmed the dunes and their natural resources.
“We demand that Profepa act quickly, investigate the irregularities on the site thoroughly and impose the appropriate sanctions,” the group said.
The complaint asks for four things: a full investigation with on-site inspections, sanctions and a permanent closure of the project, strict compliance with a court order now in place, and support for other communities in land disputes.
Court order still stands
Alongside the filing, Cemda issued a statement pushing back on recent reports that Las Dunas had been approved or would soon restart.
The group said a definitive suspension granted Sept. 29 by the First District Court in Yucatán, in amparo case 1771/2026-I-D, remains fully in force. An amparo is a Mexican lawsuit that seeks protection from government acts that may violate constitutional rights. The suspension blocks any construction license, land-use permit, urbanization or work on the site while the case moves forward.
“The defense of the coast does not stop in the face of disinformation campaigns,” the statement said. It added that residents will keep watch in the courts, before environmental agencies and on the ground until the project is canceled outright.
How the fight began
Salvemos las Dunas formed this summer after residents spotted heavy machinery clearing dune vegetation near the small fishing port. The work affected 1.3 hectares (about 3.2 acres) of vegetation, including some protected species, according to the group.
The project, developed by Designia Desarrollos, calls for 14 towers with 138 apartments. Semarnat, the federal environment secretariat, rejected the project in 2023 before later approving it.
Profepa posted closure seals at the site July 30, citing harm to protected plants and animals and missing information in the project’s environmental impact statement. The group has since won several court orders, including an earlier court win against the municipal permits, followed by the definitive suspension in late September.
The group describes the dunes as one of the best-preserved systems on Yucatán’s coast. They serve as a nesting ground for hawksbill and green sea turtles and as habitat for two birds found almost nowhere else, the Mexican sheartail hummingbird and the Yucatán wren. Coastal dunes also act as a natural barrier against hurricanes and storm surge.
In its latest statement, Salvemos las Dunas also called on communities opposing pig farms, stone quarries and coastal real estate speculation to organize. The group named quarry sites in Tebec, Hotzuc, Petecbiltún, Xcucul Sur and Ticimul.
Fast Facts
- Project: Las Dunas tourist complex, developed by Designia Desarrollos
- Location: Chuburná Puerto, municipality of Progreso
- Plans: 14 towers with 138 apartments
- Status: Under Profepa closure since July 30
- Court order: Definitive suspension since Sept. 29, case 1771/2026-I-D
- Damage cited: 1.3 hectares (3.2 acres) of dune vegetation
- New complaint: Filed with Profepa by Salvemos las Dunas and Cemda
With reporting from La Jornada Maya, Por Esto!, Diario de Yucatán and Uno TV