Mega-resorts on the gulf?

Mexico’s approval of four massive resorts has prompted some in California to question whether the country is upholding its own environmental laws.

A coalition of environmental groups has petitioned the Commission for Environmental Cooperation regarding the approval of four proposed tourism developments in the Gulf of California—Cabo Cortés, Paraíso del Mar, Entre Mares and Playa Espiritu, according to California Public News Service. Earthjustice attorney Sarah Burt said the developments will threaten the area’s fragile coral and mangrove ecosystems and endangered species like humpback and gray whales and sea turtles.

“The Mexican agencies responsible for enforcing these laws are really just looking the other way,” Burt said. “They’re allowing environmental impact assessments to be done piecemeal, so that they’re not taking a comprehensive look at all of the impacts.”