Originally the Mayan Resort and the golf course were located on the cattle grazing plains of Rivieria Maya. It was not until the year 2000 when the construction of the Resort began. The golf course “El Manglar” (The Mangrove) started operations in September 2003 after transforming an empty field with minimal vegetation into a playing hole.

The resort researched extensively for a company to certify their sustainable practices and operations under a globally respected standard. The decision to participate in the EC3 Global managed Green Globe (Earthcheck Science Inside) program was made, as it could encompass both the resort and golf course seamlessly. Of the 10 golf courses and 6 under construction in the region of Quintana Roo, ‘El Manglar” is the only course to have achieved independent certification of their sustainable initiatives relating to the principles of Agenda 21.

Initially the first steps the Golf Course took were to;

• Replace all chemicals and fertilizers with biodegradable or ecolabel products
• Reforestation of the surrounding area
• Using recycled water on the course and greens from “grey” wastewater from the resort
• Creating a compost programme for organic waste.

The resort and course have benefited greatly from its work with EC3 Global their benchmarking & certification program. Key benefits for the property were that the;

• Program provided a great education on how to manage and maintain a sustainable golf course,
• How to maximize the resources that the existing operating environment offers.
• Return on investment through costs saving initiatives both operationally and socially.

Within the “Eco” areas of the golf course ‘El Manglar” has endemic species of birds, mammals and reptiles. All these species roam freely around the golf course and hotel areas, they are protected, and their behaviour is constantly analysed to get a better understanding of their habitat and environment.

“We firmly believe that the protection of nature plays an important role in the future of the world, and we hope that every day more people and companies will join in the interest for the environment, creating new developments to mitigate environmental impact, forming knowledge bases to help future generations meet the environmental, economic and social challenges” Grupo Mayan.