Importance of Nature

Playa Negra

It is much more than a tourist attraction: it is a symbol of community resistance and an ecosystem of high environmental value. Its black sand contains minerals such as iron and titanium, which gives it its characteristic colour and generates a special habitat for marine and coastal species. Surrounded by tropical forests and mangroves, it is part of a vital ecological corridor for the region, in addition to being a place where sea turtles come to spawn.

It also has social importance because the local community, along with environmentalists and visitors, organised themselves to stop the mining that threatened the environment. Becoming the fight for Playa Negra, in a cause that united residents, migrants and tourists, defending a green future against extractivist interests. Mining companies operated with heavy machinery, affecting tourism and the environment. There are records that sand was extracted since 2002, but with the construction of the road and with the issuance of irregularly issued permits, by certain authorities since 2012 they began with extractions in large quantities; until after several years filing complaints and with an organised community, the abandonment by the concessionaires was achieved in 2018.

This beach not only shines for its minerals, but for the strength of those who protect it.