Mexico’s Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) temporarily closed multiple construction projects in Los Cabos and Loreto after inspectors found developers operating without environmental permits during a national coastal enforcement sweep from May 11 to 17.
Federal inspectors identified sites that lacked mandatory Environmental Impact Assessments issued by SEMARNAT (Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources). Violations included unauthorized removal of native vegetation, destruction of beach dune systems, and heavy infrastructure built near the Federal Maritime-Terrestrial Zone, known as ZOFEMAT.
Profepa Targets Unpermitted Coastal Development
The operation covered high-ecological-value areas in both the La Paz and Los Cabos municipalities. Profepa head Mariana Boy Tamborrell said the sanctions aim to curb environmental damage from illegal activities in coastal zones and strengthen protection of mangroves, wetlands, dunes, and rivers.
The closures fall under the National Strategy for the Cleaning and Conservation of Mexico’s Beaches and Coasts 2025 to 2030, a program coordinated by SEMARNAT and Mexico’s Ministry of the Navy. Profepa stated that projects violating environmental codes will face “zero tolerance” in 2026.
Sierra La Laguna Complaint Escalated to Presidency
Profepa is also escalating an environmental complaint involving the Sierra La Laguna Biosphere Reserve directly to Mexico’s presidency. The Sierra La Laguna reserve covers more than 112,000 hectares of mountain forest in southern Baja California Sur and serves as the peninsula’s primary freshwater source. Details of the specific complaint were not disclosed.
Shuttered construction sites will remain closed until developers present valid permits or complete mandated environmental remediation and ecosystem restoration. Developers who were inspected have five business days to present documentation or legal arguments to Profepa. After that window, the agency will determine administrative sanctions and may order full restoration of affected land to its original condition.
Pattern of Enforcement Across Baja California Sur
The May closures follow a similar Profepa operation in March 2026, when the agency shut down six unauthorized real estate developments near Cabo Pulmo National Park. That UNESCO-recognized marine reserve, decreed in 1995, covers more than 7,111 hectares and contains the only coral reef system in the Sea of Cortez. Boy Tamborrell said at the time that no projects outside the law would be tolerated in the ecosystem.
For property buyers in Baja California Sur, the enforcement actions make clear that coastal and forested land purchases require verified federal environmental permits before any construction begins. The Gringo Gazette first reported on the May closures.