Tourism, while a boon to many destinations, is posing growing threats to the pristine bay coast of Lajas, Puerto Rico. Known for its unique bioluminescent plankton, the coastal area has been attracting a large number of tourists who flock to witness the dazzling lights in the sea.
“We’ve seen a lack of control in the last 10 years,” Francheska Vélez Ramírez, a 34-year-old mother from Lajas who says the housing boom has changed her home town told The Guardian. “People come here without any awareness toward the environment – they don’t care about the resources, just the party.”
The surge in tourist activity has sparked concerns about environmental sustainability and cultural preservation in this stunning region. As visitor numbers rise, so does the pressure on the coastal ecosystem, leading to overdevelopment, habitat disruption, and pollution. The delicate balance between welcoming tourists and safeguarding the natural beauty and cultural heritage of the bay coast is now at stake.
In recent decades, the area around La Parguera has seen extensive gentrification and coastal development. Seasonal and foreign residents have set their eyes into the area, displacing lower-income locals.
Between 2015 and 2021, 247 construction permits have been approved in Lajas, according to the Center for Investigative Journalism. This construction, along with boats passing through the area, stirs up sediment from the ocean floor, reducing the bay’s oxygen levels. These affect the local plankton and diminish the amount of the light they naturally emit. The bay has also been choked by multiple hurricanes, which upset its natural pH balance and has contributed to a drop-off in the plankton.
Today, second-homers rent out their homes close to the bioluminescent bay, also known as casetas, to tourists who are seeking a glimpse of the bay. One night on the water can cost a hefty $300, in a territory where over 40% of the population lives below the federal poverty level. In Lajas alone, that figure rises to nearly 60%.
Decades have passed since locals such as Vélez Ramírez have been desperately trying to protect the cherished bay from irreversible damage caused by overdevelopment and lax environmental restrictions.
“I’ve always been careful about actively protesting because I’m a mother of two, but this time I’m scared that my children will lose the opportunity to grow up in La Parguera I knew,” Vélez Ramírez said. “A lot of the fishermen who’ve been here all their life think they don’t have a say, but I have a lot of faith in my generation who won’t be scared to do the right thing.”
Vélez Ramírez fears for the long-term sustainability of the bay saying that if local agencies do not take bold action to intervene, it may be lost forever. A decade ago, a similar threat was endangering Mosquito Bay, another bioluminescent bay in Vieques, across the island. The area was saved from environmental decline by strict preservation efforts including the ban on swimming, motor boats and construction. This all led to the bay’s eventual recovery.
“La Parguera is a living example of neglect,” said Luis García Pelatti, a consultant for Para La Naturaleza, one of Puerto Rico’s largest environmental non-profits. “There’s incompatibility between the actions that must be enforced and what should’ve happened, but never did.”
For decades, Para La Naturaleza has been pushing for better public policy and also acquiring land in order to help preserve it. In total, it currently owns over 1,600 acres of land in La Parguera. But since 2005, they have been unable to buy up any more land due to skyrocketing prices. By contrast, in the last decade, Puerto Rico has seen an influx of wealthy foreign investors looking for generous tax breaks arrive on the island.
