PR - How This Environmental Activist is Protecting Puerto Rico’s Coastlines and Indigenous Heritage
Environmental activist and cultural advocate Alegna Malavé Marrero has a strong connection to this land. Listening to her as she shares stories about how her father used to carry her [on his shoulders via backpack] on hiking treks at the El Yunque Rainforest, the love in her voice is palpable.
Though she borrowed the aforementioned story from her mother (she was too young to remember), her earliest childhood memories involve cherished moments in nature.
I have always felt happiest outdoors — in the forest, by the river, and at the beach. Whenever we arrived at the beach, I was the first one to get out of the car, take off my clothes and run to the water. Even when the waves were high, I was right there and whenever my parents said it was time to go, I resisted, wanting to stay longer. I was always sad when we had to leave the beach.
All of this encouraged my mother to enroll me in swimming lessons at a young age. Growing up on an island was the ideal environment for my happiness. Being surrounded by water is where I have felt most at home. That’s why honoring and protecting our natural resources are so important in my work.
The Intro
Last April, Alegna Malavé Marrero joined fellow community activists in removing the fencing and vegetative debris that block public access to the Cueva del Indio Nature and Marine Reserve in the northern town of Arecibo in Puerto Rico.
A veteran of environmental protest, she came prepared with Puerto Rico’s Council for Protection of Archaeological Lands regulatory policy Laws 111 and 112, which dictate the protection and preservation of terrestrial archaeological sites, including caves and caverns intrinsic to the conservation of Puerto Rico’s natural and cultural heritage.
For the past seven years, both entrances to the reserve have remained illegally obstructed by business magnate José González Freyre, owner of Pan American Grain. González Freyre, who purchased land adjacent to the Nature Reserve, placed fencing and debris around the caves, effectively closing off access to the site.
Home to a delicate ecosystem of flora, fauna, rock formations, and marine species, like hermit crabs and the endangered green sea turtle, the reserve is also an archaeological site featuring hundreds of ancient rock art carvings from Puerto Rico’s first inhabitants.
Involved in organizing since 2005, Malavé Marrero has long advocated for protecting and preserving her country’s natural resources, delicate ecosystems, and Indigenous heritage. From protesting illegal constructions to testifying at legislative hearings to educating communities, her mission is clear: to stop rampant development that is destroying Puerto Rico’s marine and nature reserves.
As a spokesperson for Defending la Cueva del Indio (DCI-681), an educational, community-based organization promoting the preservation of the Indigenous cave located along the region’s coastal route PR-681, Malavé Marrero is determined to safeguard its cultural significance. On April 9 activists managed to remove part of the fencing, but community access to the caves remains closed.
Formally trained as a socio-spatial planner — focusing on land use based on ample citizen participation and sociological knowledge applied within an urban context — Malavé Marrero uses her knowledge of Puerto Rican regulatory policy to educate communities about illegal land use and the threats posed to agricultural and natural resources. She does so against the backdrop of current Governor Pedro Pierluisi’s pro-statehood administration — one that prioritizes the interests of private investors. In this interview, Malavé Marrero shares insights on the current political climate she describes as “a threat not only to those of us living in Borikén [Puerto Rico’s Indigenous name] but also to all of the natural species of marine life that call this their home.”
In Her Words
Lola Rosario: When many hear the word “coastline” they think of beaches, but in Puerto Rico, it’s more than that. Share with us what other coastal areas are being negatively impacted.
Alegna Malavé Marrero: In the town of Salinas, in southern Puerto Rico, the National Estuarine Research Reserve Bahía de Jobos is among 30 reserves managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA]. It is an area made up of mangroves and beaches. Despite the on-site presence of guards from the DRNA, there have been documented witnessings of mangrove burnings and illegal construction of docks. Community members have been organizing since the 1980s, trying to protect the area known as Paso del Indio y Cueva León due to its ancestral significance. A place inhabited since the times of our Indigenous Taíno forebears, residents there are resisting displacement and fighting to protect their natural area.
