Mexico’s environmental agency has rejected the environmental impact assessment for the Tío Checo Sanctuary, a development project planned for the Sierra de La Laguna mountains near Los Cabos in Baja California Sur, according to Semanario ZETA.
SEMARNAT, Mexico’s federal environment ministry, dismissed the project’s environmental permit application (case 03/MP-0021/01/26) after reviewing its particular-mode environmental impact statement, known in Mexico as a MIA-P. The ruling means the project cannot proceed with any construction or related activities, since developments of this kind require prior environmental authorization.
The project was backed by the Fundación Hermandad en Armonía and linked to the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM). Before SEMARNAT issued its decision, the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA), one of the country’s most prominent environmental nonprofits, formally requested that the agency reject the permit application, as reported by Diario Humano.
The Sierra de La Laguna is a UNESCO-recognized biosphere reserve roughly 80 miles north of Cabo San Lucas. It protects a rare pine-oak forest ecosystem and serves as a critical watershed for the Los Cabos corridor and surrounding communities. Development proposals in or near the reserve draw intense scrutiny from both regulators and environmental groups.
For property owners and residents in the Los Cabos area, the decision underscores SEMARNAT’s active enforcement of environmental review requirements in southern Baja California Sur. Any construction project in or near protected areas requires a completed and approved MIA before breaking ground. Projects that skip this step or fail the review face immediate stoppage.
No timeline has been announced for any revised application. Under Mexican environmental law, the applicant could potentially submit a new impact assessment addressing the deficiencies that led to the rejection, though no indication of such plans has emerged.