SALVA TRES PALMAS: Community Fights to Protect Their Coast

Rincón, Puerto Rico is fighting to protect their coastal environment against ill-conceived construction plans – but they need all of the support they can get. 

Photo courtesy Aidan Murray

20-foot, glassy, blue walls peel into mountains of white wash down the line. Beyond the break, surfers bob in and out of view, waiting for their shot at a wave. Spectators sit atop car roofs, parked bumper to bumper on the road above the break, craning to get a look at this world-class surf. Photographers snap cameras with missile-sized lenses slung over their shoulders to capture the perfect shot. 

Below the powerful waves in the Tres Palamas Marine Reserve sits one of the only healthy elkhorn coral reefs in the Caribbean. Fragile ecosystems, abundant marine life, biodiversity, and natural beauty. On the shore, the reserve is filled with trees and vegetation; a modest dirt path for walking, hiking, and biking snakes through the forest.  

Now, the reserve is at risk of becoming nothing more than a memory if the government does not call off plans for a destructive bike path and continues to ignore environmental protection laws. 

The community in Rincón, Puerto Rico is demanding a review of the proposed Scenic Touristic Route, a 12-foot-wide concrete path with a 6-foot-seawall segment. The proposed path would harm the coastal environment, pose unnecessary risks to sensitive ecosystems, and deplete the area of its natural beauty. Illegal construction is already underway, but peaceful protests have persisted throughout the week of Mar. 10, 2025. The mayor has recently agreed to meet with community leaders, but the fight is far from over. 

Tres Palmas Marine Reserve 

In 2004, The Tres Palmas Marine Reserve was established in a successful community effort led by Surfrider Rincón and local community leaders. 

Photo courtesy Aidan Murray

Among an abundance of marine life, Tres Palmas is home to a species of endangered coral, Acropora palmata. As the first marine reserve in Puerto Rico to be self-managed by the community and local organizations, it is a rare achievement; according to the Surfrider Foundation, less than 10% of marine reserves worldwide have a solid management plan and committee dedicated to their protection.

The marine reserve is a key spot for surfing, snorkeling, and diving, helping Rincón attract thousands of visitors each year. Rincón’s tourism is reliant on its natural resources, so it would hurt not only the environment but also the local economy to take them away. 

“Since its creation, the coalition that protects this reserve has worked tirelessly to ensure its preservation,” said Héctor Varela-Velez, the head of Surfrider Foundation’s Puerto Rico Chapter.  Over the years, educational signs have been installed to raise awareness about the importance of ecosystems for visitors and residents to understand why the area needs protection. 

Along the shore, the natural path that already exists is used daily by locals for running, walking, biking, and nature-viewing, yet the proposed bike path threatens to destroy it. 

“The whole path is a community effort,” said Varela-Velez. Over one hundred people came together at the reserve to erect a fence, which was mapped out using GPS data, to create a barrier next to the paseo commitario, the community path. The fence was built along the coordinates of the deslinde, the demarcation line, marking the place where no construction or developments should be built on the ocean-side of the line. The idea was to set up a physical barrier to border the reserve.  

Photo courtesy Aidan Murray

The community has also supported the growth of the reserve by hosting anniversary celebrations of its establishment. For the 18th anniversary, volunteers gathered to plant trees and other vegetation to promote further growth in the area. For the 20th anniversary, activities including art, music, food, and planting flowers, were held. 

The success of the Tres Palmas reserve serves as one of the most important models for community-based management in Puerto Rico and surrounding islands, proving that it is possible to succeed in protecting the environment without a great deal of power, money, or support from the government. 

Previous to the establishment of Tres Palmas Marine Reserve, only the government had the power to declare an area a marine reserve in Puerto Rico. The success of the reserve in Rincón has set a precedent for community-led conservation across the island. 

Bosque La Armonia 

Inspired by the success of Tres Palmas, Rincón set out to protect more of their environment and created the Bosque La Armonia, adjacent to the beach between Indicators and Maria's Beach, an eroded area that was once filled with mostly mud. Over the past decade, the community has worked to reforest the area. It includes spaces “adopted” by local businesses that donate money to pay for the maintenance of the plants. 

“This ecosystem here, it’s really beautiful and it protects the coast. And they want to destroy it,” said Ramoncito Diaz Zambrana, a local surfer and activist fighting to protect Rincón’s coast. 

Natural paths for pedestrians have been constructed and the community has implemented nature-based solutions including stone water pools to reduce sediment runoff that damages Maria’s Beach and, ultimately, the marine reserve. 

The proposed Scenic Touristic Route would not only block access to Maria’s and the surf break at Indicators, it would destroy the forest and natural barriers to erosion the community has worked so hard on. 

The Project’s Dangerous Design 

In addition to the 12-foot wide concrete paths through the reserve, 6-foot seawalls would block access to Maria’s, Domes, and Steps beaches, altering the natural landscape and making it nearly impossible for people to reach the ocean.

It would also remove parking at Domes Beach and Steps Beach, which is already limited, forcing people to park on Road 413, risking fines, congestion, and accidents. 

Across Puerto Rico, many coastal development plans similar to the proposed bike path in Rincón have failed. Pedestrian paths in Arecibo, San Juan, Pinones, Isabella, and Agudilla have suffered damage from erosion and climate impacts.

The same thing would happen sooner or later in Rincón. 

In Rincón, there is already evidence that construction should not be done so near to the ocean. Condos are crumbling into the sea, concrete walls sit in ruins, and wired fences lay demolished in the sand. 

During big swells, hurricanes, and other tropical storms, the trees and vegetation along the coast offer protection from flooding and erosion.

They prevent the water from flooding the streets, and their removal would take away this protection, leaving the area even more vulnerable to destruction during these storms. 

Rincón has been pushing for a review of the proposed bike path design since it was introduced. The project initially raised concerns within the community regarding its credibility and practicality. The plans being used for the project are 30 years old and do not account for the significant changes to the coastline after Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Several letters were written to the Federal Highway Administration, the agency funding the project, calls were made to the mayor and senators, and still, there were no changes or answers, prompting the launch of an active campaign demanding the reconsideration of the project. 

“During the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the marine reserve, the mayor said he wanted to support. But now? Nothing,” said Varela-Velez. 

“We want a path,” said Varela-Velez. “But we want it responsibly.” In letters to government agencies, requests were made that the bike path be built parallel to the 413 road. The money available from the original project could be put towards building a bike path next to the road where concrete and development already exist. 

“You don’t have to mess with the shoreline and the coast. There are alternatives,” said Varela-Velez. 

The Community’s Fight Continues 

The community organizations and coalitions have made it clear that they do not oppose a touristic route, but they want it to be constructed properly. As the current plan stands, the design is in clear violation of local and federal environmental laws, it relies on outdated coastal demarcation that does not reflect post-Hurricane Maria shorelines, and there have been no required impact assessments. 

Photo courtesy Aidan Murray

Since the construction team is working with outdated permits, local coalitions have standing to pursue a lawsuit against the Federal Highway Administration. Lawyers for the coalitions are set to file for an injunction in the coming weeks. Homeowners in Rincón with property touching the path’s design also have standing to pursue a lawsuit. 

Campamento Cemí, located in the parking lot next to Bosque La Armonia, was set up following a large-scale protest that temporarily shut down traffic in Rincón's main plaza. At the camp, the homebase for the opposition to the project, there is information available about the issues with the current bike path designs, as well as petitions to sign to help the cause. 

“The community is showing up. We’re struggling for this cause,” said Zambrana. 

Petitions and protests have been ongoing, but during the week of Mar. 10, 2025, protests at Maria’s Beach gained traction, becoming intense.

Police presence was heavy, and at least 8 arrests were made. One man chained himself to a tree trunk. Another climbed and camped out in a tree for multiple hours on multiple days. Others stood in front of a bulldozer to block it from taking down any more trees. Memorial wreaths were placed on chopped-down tree trunks, with ribbons reading “With no trees, there is no life.”

The protests succeeded in preventing further destruction for the week of Mar. 10, but on Tuesday, Mar. 18, more trees at Maria’s Beach were taken down. 

The Bottom Line 

“There are no cultural boundaries right now,” said Zambrana. Locals, visitors, transplants, and tourists have all become involved in supporting the cause. The entire community has come together. 

The power of community brought success for the Tres Palmas Reserve in 2004.

Twenty years later, is Rincón bigger, stronger, and still committed to protecting their coast. Rincón needs every voice of support they can get. 

To find the latest updates and information on the situation, visit https://www.salvatrespalmas.com/ and https://paseoresponsable.com/ and sign the petition to support Rincón.