MEXICO CITY, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Wednesday defended the recent designation of a nature reserve in the southeast Quintana Roo state, despite the presence of a U.S.-owned company on the land.

"This is not an expropriation, it is a declaration of a protected natural area," the president told reporters at the National Palace in Mexico City.

The declaration of a 53,227-hectare nature reserve in the municipalities of Solidaridad, Tulum and Cozumel was officially declared in Monday's Government Gazette.

The company Calica, a subsidiary of the U.S. construction firm Vulcan Materials, was called out by the president for causing environmental destruction in the Mexican Caribbean under permits granted by prior administrations.

According to the president, the decree aims to conserve the region by protecting its flora and fauna.

"Imagine, they are taking gravel from paradise because it is one of the most beautiful areas in Mexico and the world, the Caribbean Sea, to build roads in the United States," he said.

Lopez Obrador said the company could take its case to court, and Mexico is right in protecting its territory and natural resources. Enditem

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