NEW YORK.— During Climate Week 2025, the International Tribunal for the Rights of Nature officially delivered the ruling on the project case Maya Trends to the Government of Mexico, the organization reported in a statement.
The delivery was led by Natalia Greenesecretary of the Court, and Mia Macdonaldexecutive director of Brighter Green, who presented the document addressed to the president Claudia Sheinbaum already the owner of the Semarnat, Alicia Barcenathrough the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the UN.
The original sentence, issued in Valladolid, Yucatanin March 2023, determined that the project incurs violations of the Rights of Nature already the biocultural rights of the peninsular Mayan peoples, holding the Mexican State responsible for crimes of ecocide and ethnocide.
Measures issued by the Court against the Mayan Train
Among the main resolutions are:
- Immediate suspension of the Mayan Train and demilitarization of indigenous territories.
- Cessation of the dispossession of ejidal lands and protection of environmental defenders.
- Declaration of the cenotes as subjects of rights.
- Comprehensive repair of affected ecosystems through independent and intercultural audits.
YOU CAN READ. Greenpeace reveals five “outrageous lies” about the Mayan Train
Aggravation of environmental and social impacts
The Court noted that, since 2023, the situation in sections 5, 6 and 7 of the Mayan Train has deteriorated. The most recent observations confirm the territory fragmentationthe deforestation of more than 11 thousand hectares and irreversible damage to cave and mangrove systems.
Likewise, the military presence in indigenous areas was highlighted, which increases the vulnerability of communities and hinders access to justice. Violations of cultural rights and prior consultation of the Mayan peoples were also documented.
Resolution update and mega pig farms
During an observation mission carried out from April 7 to 11, 2025, in which the judge participated Francesco Martonethe Court updated its resolution and expanded its ruling to the case of the mega-pig farms in Yucatan.
The agency received evidence of environmental and social impacts, including:
- Pollution of water and soil in the Cenote Ringthe main freshwater reserve of the Peninsula.
- Deforestation and loss of biodiversity, including endangered species such as jaguar and the spider monkey.
- Affects the health of human and non-human communities.
- Exploitation and genetic manipulation of non-human animals.
YOU CAN READ. Damage of the Mayan Train to the cenotes of Yucatán, in National Geographic
New Court resolutions
Based on the findings, the Court ruled:
- Confirm the Valladolid ruling in light of the continuity of environmental violations.
- Request a moratorium on new mega-pig farms and the dismantling of existing ones in the country. Cenote Ring.
- Protect the Ring of Cenotes and promote its recognition as World Heritage of Humanity.
- Restore contaminated soils and stop water eutrophication.
- Guarantee the right to prior consultation and protect the rights of the Mayan peoples.
- Cease judicial persecutions against environmental defenders.
- Boost a constitutional amendment in Yucatán that recognizes the Rights of Nature.
The resolution was adopted on September 23, 2025.