The Papagayo River in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero still flows, and local communities opposed to the construction of a massive hydroelectric dam are doing all they can to keep it that way, as a documentary about their struggle shows.
Indice De Contenido
Location and map of the Papagayo River
The 140 km long Papagayo River is one of the three main rivers in the state of Guerrero. It flows southwest through the biologically rich Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range before joining the Omilan River and flowing into the Pacific Ocean (see article: Ameca River).
Tourism in the Papagayo River
The Papagayo River is a spectacle to behold, with all the beautiful scenery that surrounds it. But that’s not the only reason it’s so popular; it’s also where the famous jet-ski shot-over trips take place, where you get on a speedboat and cruise down the river admiring its beauty. It is an unforgettable sight (see article: Sava River).
You will meet your guide at the pier of the cruise terminal and then board your air-conditioned van for the trip to Pueblo Bravo. It takes approximately 40 minutes to get to Pueblo Bravo, plus a 10 minute downhill drive to the Papagayo River.
Once on the river you will be given a safety briefing, rafting instructions and safety equipment. You will then board your raft for the 5 mile trip through the rushing waters.
The Papagayo River, the cleanest river in all of Mexico, has a Class II rating in the whitewater rating system. Its course takes you through an area of interesting rock formations, cliffs, tropical plants and exotic wildlife. The grand finale takes you through the “surprise rapid”, which will be absolutely thrilling.
At the end of the rafting part of the tour you will be taken back to Pueblo Bravo where a box lunch will be served. This tour is available from June to December, depending on the depth of the river. Minimum age is 12 years. Passengers with neck or back problems and pregnant women should not participate. This tour can only be done on trips that arrive in Acapulco in the morning.
Conservation of the Papagayo River
To develop market-based mechanisms that ensure water quality and quantity while maximising conservation investment within Mexico. These mechanisms provide economic incentives in the form of payments for managing important water resources (see Ottawa River article).
The Papagayo River Fund will engage water users and managers through participatory and collaborative processes and a series of outreach campaigns to establish a viable payment for ecosystem services and management mechanisms.
Papagayo River Projects
“We have to tell people what is happening in Guerrero,” José Hernández, spokesman for the non-governmental Council of Ejidos and Communities Opposed to the La Parota Dam (CECOP), told IPS. “We are the owners of the land and we will never give in.
“Y el río Papago sigue corriendo” shows the resistance of four communities to the project launched in 2003 by Mexico’s largest state electricity company, the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).
The film, directed by Carlos Pérez Rojas, unsuccessfully competed for the award for best Mexican documentary at the Third International Human Rights Film Festival held in Mexico City from 21 May to 3 June (see article: Río Neckar).
The project, which was postponed by the government in 2009, would flood more than 17,000 hectares of forest and farmland around the small town of Cacahuatepec, some 600 km south of the Mexican capital, displacing some 25,000 mostly indigenous campesinos agricultores.
The La Parota dam has divided people in the areas of Guerrero that would be affected by the project. Fifteen peasant communities support the project, but four oppose it, in a dispute that has already claimed the lives of three residents involved in the fight against the dam.
CECOP’s tactics have included ongoing barricades to keep dam construction workers off the land, and lawsuits that have successfully challenged the project’s approval process.
For more information on the Papagayo River, please see the video below.