What are we doing?
We have chosen this area as a unique and interesting area to study development efforts, in hopes of creating strategies for promoting sustainable growth that can be employed here and elsewhere.

Why did we choose this location?
Several factors make this stretch of coastline a rich environment to study growth and development issues. With a reputation for undeveloped beaches and rustic charm, Zipolite and its neighboring communities Puerto Angel, San Agustinillo, and Mazunte have attracted shoestring budget travelers for several decades. However, in recent years money from land speculation has triggered a notable acceleration in development. The Mexican government has also been actively investing in this area, while conservation groups are making efforts to protect unique coastal ecosystems that have been identified here. Residents are hungry for development, but also are anxious to protect their communities, and are wary of projects like Huatulco, a five star resort an hour to the south that displaced the entire community and has yet to be successful.

Why does this matter?
Growth here reflects a fast-growing worldwide trend in real estate investment, particularly in coastal areas. As global boundaries disintegrate, land speculators and bargain seekers are moving abroad where land is relatively inexpensive. As result, many coastal and rural areas are experiencing accelerated growth scenarios, with little structure in place for managing this growth. The ecological and cultural consequences of this trend are just beginning to emerge.

What is happening in Oaxaca?
With the increased flow of money and tourism, this portion of the coast seems poised to experience significant growth over the next decade. This will inevitably bring challenges that these communities will have to overcome, as current land use and waste management practices are unsustainable given growth trends. Problems that are likely to arise include water shortages, contamination of local waters, overcrowding and traffic, waste management, and above all, losing much of the local character and uniqueness of the area.

How are we helping?
Our goal is to collect information about how development efforts on this coast are impacting environmental concerns, and help communities use this information to protect and manage their natural resources. For example, we hope to create and maintain a website that displays up-to-date information about water levels and groundwater contamination locally. Such a site would provide means for community leaders to monitor water consumption and usage as the towns grow.

Many of the problems the area will encounter in the future will result from combinatorial effects of individual actions. Besides working with community groups, we hope to promote environmental consciousness among residents through courses and projects we run. For example, we may offer courses on how to collect and re-use waste water, or how to build homes using materials like cob or adobe that require less resources than concrete or unsustainably harvested tropical wood.

How can I help?
We are actively seeking partners in setting up projects and courses locally. Organizations or academic groups that are seeking an opportunity to study or practice sustainable development, resource management, community organization, or related issues can contact us at info@mycelio.org. We feel our location and ongoing efforts in these communities allow us to provide a rich experience that is unavailable elsewhere. We would be happy to work with you to set something up that meets both of our needs. In addition to projects and courses, our facilities are available for retreats, workshops or other events.

Individuals who are interested in learning about sustainable development or environmental issues in this area are welcome to join us for one of the courses we offer. The area is beautiful and we try to make it easy to integrate learning into a fun, inexpensive vacation. Because of our partnerships with local businesses, often our courses end up being less expensive than a normal vacation here of an equivalent amount of time.