Solicitud conjunta de autorización de la Sociedad Cooperativa de Producción Pesquera Puerto Chale S.C.L. y del Center for International Environmental Law para proceder como amicus curiae en el caso de arbitraje Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. c. los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (Caso CIADI No. UNCT/20/1)

The amicus curiae brief argues that the Mexican state was obligated to deny the environmental permit for the Don Diego project due to severe risks to the marine ecosystem of the Golfo de Ulloa and the human rights of local fishing communities. The authors contend that the project, which involves dredging 91,000 hectares of the seabed to extract 7 million tons of phosphate rock annually, would cause irreversible biodiversity loss and contaminate the area with radioactive elements like uranium and thorium. They assert that the precautionary principle and international treaties—including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the American Convention on Human Rights—mandate the protection of the environment and the right to work and health for the 128 families of the Puerto Chale Cooperative and other regional residents.

• The Don Diego project involves dredging 91,000 hectares of the seabed in the Golfo de Ulloa to extract 7 million tons of phosphate rock and sand annually over a 50-year period, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• The project area overlaps with a designated fishing refuge zone and the specific fishing concession of the Sociedad Cooperativa de Producción Pesquera Puerto Chale S.C.L., which is valid until 2035.
• Seabed mining for phosphate poses a risk of radioactive contamination from elements such as uranium and thorium, which could enter the air and marine ecosystem, threatening human health through inhalation or consumption of contaminated fish.
• The project threatens critical marine biodiversity, including species under special protection or endangered, such as Humpback, Bryde's, and Gray whales, as well as the loggerhead sea turtle.
• The authors argue that the precautionary principle requires states to take preventive measures when there is scientific uncertainty regarding grave or irreversible environmental damage, and that this principle justifies Mexico's denial of the permit.
• The project would violate the human rights of the Golfo de Ulloa residents, specifically the right to work, the right to participate in cultural life (as fishing is a traditional way of life), and the right to health and a healthy environment.
• The brief highlights a global trend of caution regarding seabed mining, noting that countries like New Zealand and Australia have implemented moratoria or total prohibitions due to environmental uncertainty.
• The IUCN World Conservation Congress approved a motion on September 8, 2021, calling for a moratorium on seabed mining, a move supported by 81 governments, including Mexico.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2021). Solicitud conjunta de autorización de la Sociedad Cooperativa de Producción Pesquera Puerto Chale S.C.L. y del Center for International Environmental Law para proceder como amicus curiae en el caso de arbitraje Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. c. los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (Caso CIADI No. UNCT/20/1). https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Amicus-Curiae-solicitud-de-autorización-y-escrito-de-CIEL-y-la-Cooperativa-Puerto-Chale.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Solicitud conjunta de autorización de la Sociedad Cooperativa de Producción Pesquera Puerto Chale S.C.L. y del Center for International Environmental Law para proceder como amicus curiae en el caso de arbitraje Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. c. los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (Caso CIADI No. UNCT/20/1). 2021. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Amicus-Curiae-solicitud-de-autorización-y-escrito-de-CIEL-y-la-Cooperativa-Puerto-Chale.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Solicitud conjunta de autorización de la Sociedad Cooperativa de Producción Pesquera Puerto Chale S.C.L. y del Center for International Environmental Law para proceder como amicus curiae en el caso de arbitraje Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. c. los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (Caso CIADI No. UNCT/20/1) |date=12 October 2021 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Amicus-Curiae-solicitud-de-autorización-y-escrito-de-CIEL-y-la-Cooperativa-Puerto-Chale.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2021solicitud, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Solicitud conjunta de autorización de la Sociedad Cooperativa de Producción Pesquera Puerto Chale S.C.L. y del Center for International Environmental Law para proceder como amicus curiae en el caso de arbitraje Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. c. los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (Caso CIADI No. UNCT/20/1)}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Amicus-Curiae-solicitud-de-autorización-y-escrito-de-CIEL-y-la-Cooperativa-Puerto-Chale.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }