eco chic hotel killing native Mexican orchids!!

[stefpix]

I am in Tulum Mexico for a vacation

"eco chic" boutique hotel (owner is from New York) Amansala.

They have a wall decorated with dying large clumps of protected native orchids some of which under a staircase under a Buddha and another next to a Ganesh that would not get water even if it rained) . They are exposed to full sun and salt air wind and unlike in their native environment that is more humid (the Myrmecophilas grow not far from there but in a damp swampy area protected from ocean winds) here these would need to be sprayed with fresh water.

Amansala gets one truckload every day of 4000 liters (1005 gallons) of potable water every day for the total cost of 300 pesos (25 US$) They could water their epiphitic plants daily with half gallon of water sprayed every day. Other upscale places like Coqui Coqui use more xerophitic plants for their decor ( Aloe, Sanseviera etc) and shows more respect for the environment. Amansala could use epiphitic Anthuriums that grow really close to the beach for their decor.

How can they call themselves deco? I med an old lady in the pueblo that has collected orchids on the trees outside her home . She got them for her plot of jungle 10 km inland. She takes care of her plants and has beautiful green thriving specimens. I am wondering weather reporting the Amansala issue on TripAdvisor. Eco is just one of those marketing ploys to mark up prices

this is their website
AMANSALA : ECO CHIC RESORT TULUM, MEXICO - yoga retreats, weddings, bikini bootcamp

here are my photos on flickr and FB albums. I put native orchid encounters photos of this area

Tulum / flora - a set on Flickr

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=a85a2df289

[orchidsarefun]

IMO you should educate the owner - offer to relocate the survivors to areas where they will grow, make sure that only hardy plants are grown on the wall ( if any ) and tell him that they should be watered if there is insufficient rainfall. Maybe and hopefully he will appreciate some expert/informed advice.

I love that area of Mexico. Will be there in June.

[Leafmite]

I always nicely educate people when I see plants suffering. Say something about how you notice that the person appreciates orchids, that you do, too, and that you have finally figured out how to care for them. Then kindly mention that you have thought of a few things that could help the orchids at the hotel. If you do it in a modest, friendly manner, and assume the owner wishes the orchids to do well, it usually goes over well. People usually appreciate help when it is offered by someone that seems to care about their concerns.

[stefpix]

yeah - I was a bit upset. At least if they did not define themselves as "eco" I would have felt more humble about the advice...
I wrote them this, I hope it sounds constructive and honest - not just angry (but I heard from a friend that they underpay and treat badly the local staff that cooks and clean while they charge 200/ 300 $ a night for a room - so I am a bit prejudiced):

"hi, I am visiting Tulum for the 3rd time. I saw your elegant looking hotel but I am really disappointed that as you claim eco friendliness you are using protective native orchids on your wall without providing the proper care and letting them dry without providing the extra water they need as they are in the drier / windier / saltier environment. these are my thoughtsI am attaching some photos of your plants and the same species thriving in the care of a lady in the pueblo. she waters her plants. Maybe you do not have the knowledge about the different climates in the area... You would just need a spray bottle and one or 2 liters a day to spray them... That would be really eco. I grow orchids in Brooklyn where I am a photographer for various media outlets and I am friends with the orchids curator at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. I am here in Tulum a couple of weeks and I have seen how the locals grow orchids and I could give you some advice as I have good experience. Or you guys could try to grow plants that are more adapted to the ocean front like native Ficus, Anthuriums, Sea Grape .and more xerophitic plants ( I have seen that at Coqui Coqui). I hope you may take up some advice - I was very upset at seeing protected / endangered plants being neglected to their death. But Most of what you have could be fixed with some watering and shading during the hottest hours.
stefano"

---------- Post added at 02:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:32 PM ----------

PS - orchidsarefun: what looked dead was an Encyclia and a Myrmecophila that can take a lot of sun...

where are you going in Mexico? do you rent a car? it is great here. my hotel in the pueblo is 20$ a night and is quiet (although a bit dusty). the beach is 2 miles away on a bike...

[orchidsarefun]

we are going to a place outside Playa - time share, not mine .
We always rent a car - this trip we are planning on going back to Chicha Nitza ( last there about 5 years ago ) and a new trip to La Isla Mujeres. Also snorkelling in a lagoon, forget the name but its in a smaller village - think its a National Park. Plus Tulum. Plus Cozumel. Plus lots more.
2 weeks of heaven !
Your hotel is a bargain. We hope to retire to Mexico....one day.

[Island Girl]

Stefano - Did you ever hear back from the owners or anybody at this hotel? I hope so, this is a little upsetting... I wonder if they collected them illegally? I also don't like when "upscale" places treat their local employees like crap, for low pay

[stefpix]

Hi

I should have followed up.
They instructed their gardner to water the plants. I noticed they moved the R. digbyana elsewhere. I thought it was retarded to keep plants where they did not get rained. Anyhow the 2nd week I was there it rained a lot, and some streets flooded. So the end of the dry season my change the landscape. But anyway those orchids were doing poorly and some just one step before death / trash. I saw another beach hotel nearby less than 100 meters away that had beautiful native Encyclias (alata? not sure as there are so many) blooming and growing.... on top of regular terrestrial potting soil in large clay pots!! I have photos of that! and others on trees. People own lots in the jungle and I think they can collect legally. In the nearby (huge) Sian Ka'an biosphere ( a national park) it is illegal to collect. Anyway I saw a ton of Myrmecophilas and Brassavola nodosa and are not threatened species. I notice many federal agents from environmental protection inspecting tourist facilities and were giving a hard time to a hotel that cut down too many mangroves. The mangrove ecosystem there seems to be really protected. SOme business had been shut down.

Anyway I investigated . People that clean, cook, serve are paid $100 a week on an average and work 13 days straight until they get 2 days off. If you go to those touristy places you pay similar prices you pay in the US, but the owners (mostly Americans or Europeans) do not pay their local staff much. 100 $ a week is barely to survive, but it is not really anything. I ate where teh locals eat, I could pay a lot less like one third or one quarter, depending where I went, and the money went to the family that cooked.

I have 5000 images to edit so it is going to take me a while.

here is a set on flickr about the beach...

Tulum, beach - a set on Flickr

[palm521]

Thanks for the information. i already saved some pictures it is ILLEGAL to have protected plants without the goverment permits. collected plants without a permit is a crime in mexico, and they are candidates to a good number of punishments (including and not limited to , fines, arrest, closing down the business etc, they do not go against private people, only business, and collectors who sells the plants.

by law , it is also forbidden to have mexican protected species in a greenhouse without the permits as well. although 99% of private collections are not registered and do have mexican species). they only prosecute people who sells , or business were they can squeeze good money , normally used to finance the profepa.


i am calling Sagarpa and Semarnat next monday, and make sure they get random visits. (just in case they clean up their mess, and play nice for a while). i will also let Profepa knows, profepa is the ambient police who are in the field making arrest and shutting down businesses .

Thanks for the information!


Cheers!
Antonio.

[stefpix]

Antonio,
I think I saw Profepa checking the hotels, what they seemed worried was cutting the Mangroves.

I checked this site and those species seem not in danger. Even R. digbyana is common as a weed.

I saw other hotels with nice clumps of Encyclia belizensis etc etc.

I would not over react. After all what really affect the plants is cutting down the jungle to build gated communities like Aldea Zama.

check the site, the plants are protected but not in danger of extinction:

Flora: Península de Yucatán

sometimes laws are too restrictive. some people may grow native plants and be able to make them prosper and contribute to the propagation. I saw fallen trees with dying orchids as they were in full unfoltered sun, If someone collected those and put them in their garden it would be a good thing.

It is better to educate people. I am sure the natives, the Maya people collected orchids for centuries and used them for landscaping without affecting the availability.