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 peeling off into mountains of white wash down the line. A loose pack of surfers waiting in the lineup for their wave.
Spectators sitting atop car roofs, parked bumper to bumper on the road above the break, craning to get a look at this world-class surf.
Photographers snapping cameras with missile-sized lenses slung over their shoulders to capture the perfect shot.
Below these powerful waves sits one of the only healthy elkhorn coral reefs in the Caribbean.
Fragile ecosystems, abundant marine life and biodiversity, and natural beauty.
On the shore, is a thriving green ecosystem filled by trees and vegetation, with a modest dirt path for walking, hiking, and biking.
All of this and more 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 Rincon, Puerto Rico is demanding a review of the proposed Scenic Touristic Route, a 12-foot wide concrete path with a 6-foot seawall along areas of it that 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 for the past week. 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 @worksforavocados
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 a management committee dedicated to their protection. It is the only reserve between the towns of Rincón, on Puerto Rico's western coast, and Arecibo, on the northern coast, and it is home to a species of endangered coral, Acropora palmata.
As a key spot for surfing, snorkeling, and diving, the marine reserve helps Rincon attract thousands of visitors each year. Rincon’s tourism is reliant on its natural resources, and 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.
Educational signs have been installed to raise awareness about the importance of ecosystems for visitors and residents to understand why it needs protection.
A natural path already exists in the reserve. A perfectly suitable, organic path perfect for running, walking, biking, and enjoying the beauty of the nature around you. Locals use it daily, yet the proposed bike path threatens to destroy it.
“The whole path is a community effort,” said Varela-Velez. He explained that over one hundred people came together at the reserve to help put up a fence that was mapped out using GPS data to create a barrier next to the paseo commitario, the community path. The fence was put up along the coordinates of the deslinde, the demarcation line at which no construction or developments should be done on the ocean side of the line. The idea was to set up a physical barrier to outline the reserve.
The community has also helped the reserve’s growth by hosting anniversary celebrations of its establishment. For the 18th anniversary, the community gathered to plant trees and other vegetation to promote further growth in the area. For the 20th anniversary, activities in the reserve were held, including art, music, food, and planting flowers.
The success of the Tres Palmas reserve serves as one of the most important models for community-based management in Puerto Rico and other islands and similar areas, proving that it is possible to succeed in protecting a community 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. The success of the reserve in Rincon set a precedent for community-led conservation across Puerto Rico.
Bosque La Armonia
Inspired by the success of Tres Palmas, the community set out to protect more land in Rincon and created the Bosque La Armonia, adjacent to the beach between Indicators and Maria's
Beach, an area that was once 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 there.
“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 Rincon’s coast. They’ve created natural paths for pedestrians and implemented nature-based solutions such as stone water pools to reduce sediment runoff that damages Maria’s Beach and, ultimately, the marine reserve.
The planned path would block access to Maria’s and the surf break at Indicators and 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 walls along the coast would block access to Marias, Domes, and Steps beaches, making it nearly impossible to get to the ocean and changing the natural landscape.
It would also remove parking at Domes Beach and Steps Beach, which is already limited. People would then have to park on Road 413, risking fines, congestion, and accidents.
Across Puerto Rico, many coastal development plans similar to the current project in Rincon 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 Rincon.
Even in Rincon, there is evidence that construction should not be done so close to the ocean. There are condos in the sea, crumbled concrete walls, and wired fences demolished in the sand.
During big swells, hurricanes, and storms, the trees and vegetation along the coast offer protection from flooding and erosion. They prevent the ocean from coming into the streets, and with their removal, the coastline will no longer be protected and the bike path will be at risk of destruction during these storms.
The community has been pushing for a review of the dangerous design since it first began. 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 from Hurricane Maria in 2017.
People wrote letters to the Federal Highway Administration, the agency funding the project, made calls to the mayor and senators, and still, there were no changes, prompting the launch of an active campaign demanding changes to the project.
Photo courtesy @worksforavocados
“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 the path,” said Varela-Velez. “But we want it responsibly.” In letters to the 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 into the infrastructure to make room for 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 bike path -- they simply 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.
Since they are 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 Rincon with property touching the path’s design also have standing to pursue a lawsuit.
Campamento Cemí, located in the parking lot next to the community forest, was set up following a large-scale protest that temporarily shut down traffic in Rincón's main plaza. At the camp, a sort of homebase for the opposition to the project, there is information 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 going on for a while now, but during the week of March 10th, protests at Maria’s Beach gained traction and became intense. Police presence was heavy, and at least 8 arrests were made.
One man chained himself to the trunk of a tree, while 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 March 10th, but on Tuesday, March 18th, more trees at Maria’s Beach were taken down.
Photo courtesy Kailey Aiken
The Bottom Line
“There are no cultural boundaries right now,” said Zambrana. “We’re talking about the whole community from the states that are living here, those who aren’t, all of the locals, everyone is supporting the cause, and that is very important.”
The power of community brought success for the Tres Palmas Reserve in 2004. Twenty years later, that same community is bigger, stronger, and still committed to protecting their coast.
Rincon 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 Rincon.