- Title: Environmentalist warns Mexico train project destroying ancient Mayan cave system
- Date: 29th April 2023
- Summary: GREENBELT, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES(APRIL 25, 2023) (REUTERS) U.S. VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS AND SOUTH KOREA’S PRESIDENT YOON SUK YEOL WALKING UP TO LECTERN WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, KAMALA HARRIS, SAYING: “Our alliance is leading on some of the most important and pressing issues of our time. In Seoul, you and I spoke, for example, about
- Embargoed: 13th May 2023 05:32
- Keywords: Cenote Dama Blanca Mayan train Mexico Quintana Roo Tren Maya government groundwater
- Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, MEXICO
- City: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, MEXICO
- Country: Mexico
- Topics: Environment,South America / Central America,North America
- Reuters ID: LVA006873128042023RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Parts of Mexico's remote southern jungles have barely changed since the time of the ancient Maya.
A major feature of this area is the ancient cave systems beneath the jungle floor known as cenotes, where the limestone surface has fallen in to expose the crystalline groundwater.
They have also been the site of discoveries such as ancient human fossils and Maya artifacts like a canoe estimated to be more than 1,000 years old.
But in recent years, this ancient area has also been home to a railway project known as the Tren Maya.
The government argues its development will bring modern connectivity to areas for generations deprived of significant economic benefits.
However, environmentalists say its construction is endangering pristine wilderness and the ancient cenotes.
Environmentalist Jose Urbina told Reuters on Friday (April 28) that the entrance to the Dama Blanca Cenote in Solidaridad, Quintana Roo has been filled in as part of train construction.
According to Urbina, this area was once rich in vegetation, bats and fish.
But with the filling in of the cenote's entrance the functioning of the ecosystem has been "wiped out".
Video provided by Urbina showed a bulldozer scattering rubble and debris near the reported entrance to the Dama Blanca cenote.
The Tren Maya route cuts a swathe up to 14 metres (46 ft.) wide through some of the world's most unique ecosystems, bringing the modern world closer to vulnerable species.
The 1,470 km (910 miles) track is set to carry diesel and electric trains through the jungle and connect Mexico's top tourist destination Cancun to the ancient Mayan temples of Chichen Itza and Palenque.
The railway has deeply divided Mexicans and the controversies surrounding the construction exemplify struggles developing countries across the globe face to balance economic progress with environmental responsibility.
(Production: Mariana Sandoval) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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