Local Conservation Group in Cabo San Lucas Fights to get Land Back

In late March, a Sinoloa-based company falsely claimed hundreds of acres of natural beachfront property in Cabo San Lucas, belonging to local businessman and longtime conservationist, René Pinal, along with his family and team of investors.

Despite evidence the land titles submitted by the company on July 27, 2007 were forged by a man who was recorded legally dead several months prior, Baja California Sur state officials proceeded to clear Pinal’s lands, while actually reversing his charges against him.

Pinal, who has been a well-respected environmental activist and businessman for over 18 years, has left the majority of his 2,000 acres of coastal land undeveloped in a conscientious effort to protect the region’s endangered sea turtles, and in general, the natural environment of Cabo San Lucas’ lands and beaches.

Nearly two decades ago, Pinal formed a local non-profit organization with a group of biologists and local residents, called the Association for the Protection of the Environment and the Marine Turtle in Southern Baja (ASUPMATOMA), to help rebuild populations of endangered marine sea turtles in the Sea of Cortez.

At his estate, which is now open to the public to tour the lands and interact with the sea turtles,
ASUPMATOMA has already saved tens of thousands of baby sea turtles, and hundreds of thousands more of baby sea turtle hatchlings along the beach. In addition to the organization’s local sea turtle conservation efforts, Pinal’s natural lands protect more than 17 other species in the area, some which have also been marked endangered.

The biggest reasons for the shrinking sea turtle populations in the Sea of Cortez, Pinal explains, are rapid coastal development, pollution, beachfront lighting, and careless hunting of sea turtle hatchlings along Mexico’s Pacific Coast.

Since becoming a public media source two weeks ago, Pinal has been speaking out fervently about his case and urges the Mexico government to take action immediately to end the country’s corrupt business and political rings, which are not only responsible for illegal land takeovers, like what is happening to Pinal and his family, but also for escalating crime rates, in general.