Mexico’s federal environmental prosecutor has ordered the temporary closure of two brick-making operations in Puerto Vallarta after inspectors found the works threatening a nesting area for the rare casquito turtle (Kinosternon vogti), a species found only along the Jalisco and Nayarit coast.
On May 12, 2026, PROFEPA inspectors visited two properties where they observed land-use changes, vegetation clearing, and removal of material inside zones designated as habitat and nesting grounds for the turtle. They also identified two brickworks that had been operating for at least eight years, plus sand piles, construction debris, and damage to an intermittent stream on the boundary.
The affected zone covers approximately 5.37 hectares of low deciduous forest and medium sub-perennial forest. Because neither property could produce an environmental impact authorization from the federal Ministry of Environment, PROFEPA imposed total temporary closures on both sites.
The casquito turtle is listed as a protected species under NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 and is considered micro-endemic to the Banderas Bay region.
Separately, the Vallarta Casquito Turtle Participatory Environmental Surveillance Committee delivered 90 deactivated traps to PROFEPA that had been found in other turtle habitat areas around the city. The action highlights the growing role of citizen groups in safeguarding local wildlife.
The University of Guadalajara’s Centro Universitario de la Costa also announced it is restarting its conservation program for the species, with plans to receive specimens previously collected by PROFEPA and reintegrate them into research and breeding efforts.
Visitors interested in Puerto Vallarta’s natural heritage can explore the region’s protected ecosystems at the Vallarta Botanical Gardens and along the coastal trails south of the city, where wildlife observation is a growing draw.
