A conservation association has pledged to remove construction materials it flew by helicopter into the core zone of the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve after the operation drew alarm from local residents, environmental groups, and state legislators. The commitment came during a working meeting convened by the Baja California Sur state legislature on the issue of unauthorized Sierra de la Laguna construction activity inside one of Mexico’s most ecologically sensitive protected areas.
Dr. Carlos Esquivel Lacroix, director of the association Hermandad en Armonía, A.C., acknowledged that poor planning and bad advice led the group to airlift building materials without first consulting the ranching families who live in the sierra or the conservation organizations that monitor it. The materials were intended to rehabilitate existing cabins and install proper restrooms on a parcel the association purchased from private owners within the reserve’s core zone.
A UNESCO Reserve With Strict Legal Protections
The Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve covers roughly 112,437 hectares of mountains between La Paz and Los Cabos. UNESCO designated it a biosphere reserve in 2003, recognizing its role as a biological “sky island” where pine-oak forests survive atop a desert peninsula. The reserve shelters more than 900 plant species, at least 30 of them endemic to the region.
Mexican federal law divides biosphere reserves into buffer zones and core zones. Core zones carry the strictest protections under the General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection (LGEEPA). Construction, land clearing, and resource extraction are heavily restricted there. Any project inside a core zone typically requires authorization from SEMARNAT, Mexico’s federal environment ministry, and falls under enforcement by PROFEPA, the federal environmental prosecutor’s office.
Private land ownership inside a core zone is legally possible in Mexico. But owning the land does not override the reserve’s management plan. Landowners must still comply with the rules that govern permitted activities in core areas. Flying construction materials by helicopter into the zone without prior consultation raised immediate questions about whether those rules were followed.
Helicopter Flights Triggered Public Alarm in May 2025
Residents of the sierra and hikers reported helicopter overflights in the weeks before the legislative meeting. The sight of a commercial helicopter hauling cargo into a remote mountain reserve prompted social media posts and formal complaints from environmental collectives in La Paz and Los Cabos. Local ecotourism guides, who lead multi-day treks through the sierra’s canyons and forests, voiced concern that a private group could restrict trail access or alter the landscape.
Esquivel Lacroix told the legislative meeting that the association has not restricted access for ranchers or ecotourism operators. He said people can still ascend and descend through the area freely. But the episode exposed a gap in oversight: by the time authorities and communities learned about the helicopter flights, materials had already been deposited inside the core zone.
CONANP, Mexico’s national commission for natural protected areas, manages the Sierra de la Laguna reserve with a small staff and limited budget. The agency has historically struggled to monitor remote terrain across the peninsula. A 2020 federal audit found that CONANP operated with roughly 40% fewer staff than it needed nationwide. In Baja California Sur, that shortage means vast sections of the sierra go unpatrolled for weeks at a time.
Second Parcel Near San José del Cabo Airport
The association also owns a separate property near San José del Cabo International Airport. Esquivel Lacroix told legislators that parcel is earmarked for a future Flora and Fauna Education and Conservation Center, not for real estate development. He described the sierra property as a potential extension of that center, a place to house animals or plants generated by the educational project if it moves forward.
That explanation did not fully satisfy attendees at the meeting. Community representatives pressed for clarity on timelines, permits, and accountability. The association agreed to respond to any requirements from SEMARNAT, PROFEPA, the state government, and the municipal governments of La Paz and Los Cabos.
The Sierra de la Laguna remains one of the most popular backcountry destinations on the peninsula. Guided treks from the La Paz side typically start near the community of San Dionisio, while Los Cabos operators access the range from Santiago or San Bartolo. Permits are required for overnight stays, and ranching families in the sierra have served as guides for decades.
The state legislature has not announced a follow-up session, but SEMARNAT and PROFEPA are expected to review the project and verify that the materials are removed. The story was first reported by Colectivo Pericú.