After a lengthy legal battle, the citizens of Chocholá achieved restitution of land in an ecological reserve, protecting the jungle and cenotes.
After more than a decade of legal dispute, the Ejidatarios of Chocholá celebrated the recovery of more than 600 hectares of land, a victory that strengthens their agrarian rights and favors environmental conservation in one of the most biodiverse areas of Yucatán.
In 2019, the municipality’s farmers filed a lawsuit to annul a 2012 ejido assembly, which approved a land-use change for 612 hectares without complying with legal requirements. The lands, located in a jungle area, were subject to special regulations due to their ecological value.
After years of litigation, the Agrarian Unitary Court ruled in favor of the Ejidatarios in February 2023, declaring the assembly void and ordering the restitution of the lands.
Although the ejido commissioner, led by David Alejandro Anguas Quintal, attempted to overturn the decision through an injunction, the Collegiate Court dismissed it for failure to exhaust prior legal remedies, thus upholding the initial ruling.
The recovered lands are part of the Cenote Ring State Geohydrological Reserve, an area protected by the Yucatán government due to its importance in recharging groundwater and its rich biodiversity.
This ruling not only guarantees the conservation of the forest and the cenotes (symbols of Chocholá’s cultural and natural identity) but also prevents potential health risks from pollution resulting from industrial activities.
The Ejidatarios emphasized that this achievement strengthens the fight for agrarian and environmental justice in Yucatán: “We have recovered a vital territory and secured this ecosystem for our children. It is a precedent against dispossession and in favor of nature.”
TYT Newsroom
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