It might sound like a joke — but it isn’t — as the real estate company Keller Williams Metropolitan has listed Cerralvo Island, also known as Jacques Cousteau Island, for sale. This natural gem lies just off the coast of La Paz, Baja California Sur. The listing, posted on a marketplace called Mercado Libre, has sparked intense debate among citizens, authorities, and defenders of Mexico’s natural heritage.
The company managing the transaction, Keller Williams Metropolitan, is a well-known name in real estate and has at least 54 properties listed on the digital marketplace. However, the sale of an island that forms part of a protected natural area — and was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005 — has raised alarms and triggered serious legal, environmental, and ethical concerns.
According to Article 27 of the Mexican Constitution, the nation originally owns all land and waters within its territory. While foreigners are allowed to acquire property rights in Mexico, they must do so under strict conditions: adhering to Mexican law and renouncing any claim to protection from their country of origin over such properties. Even with these provisions, selling a protected island is neither a straightforward nor a common transaction.
The listing describes an ambitious sustainable development project. According to the ad, the 11,300-hectare island is intended to feature maritime, air, and land transportation infrastructure — including an airport and ferry service — eco-friendly hotels, sustainable housing, ecological villas, and vast areas dedicated to ecotourism. Planned activities include hiking, birdwatching, sport fishing, water sports, and youth camps.
The project also envisions the installation of renewable energy sources, such as hydroelectric, wind, and ocean power plants, along with wastewater treatment facilities, water purification plants, rainwater storage dams, and solid waste management centers. The clear promise: to create an eco-friendly tourism and residential destination that blends environmental conservation with world-class infrastructure.
Despite the compelling narrative around sustainability, the news of the sale caused significant public concern. The governor of Baja California Sur, Víctor Manuel Castro Cosío, publicly stated that Cerralvo Island does have an owner: it belongs to a local family named Ruffo, and therefore his administration cannot intervene directly. However, he also voiced strong opposition to such privatizations. “Even if it is national heritage and privately owned, I oppose the privatization of our islands and lands,” said Castro Cosío.
The roots of the situation date back decades. In the past, some islands were granted or sold to private individuals under conditions that would be unimaginable today, in a vastly different legal and social context. Although these lands are technically part of Mexico’s national heritage, their legal status has allowed some of them to remain in private hands — a paradox that has fueled confusion and discontent among those who believe such spaces should be inalienably protected.
The case of Cerralvo Island raises crucial questions: How can a protected, World Heritage-listed island be sold? What legal loopholes allow a natural treasure of this importance to be listed alongside apartments and urban lots on a marketplace? Can a real estate project, even one branded as “sustainable,” truly justify the commercialization of a unique ecosystem?
For now, the sale listing remains active, and so does the controversy. Meanwhile, environmental law experts, civil society organizations, and residents of Baja California Sur are closely watching, debating the future of an island whose ecological and cultural significance far outweighs any financial offer.
The outcome of this situation could set a precedent for how Mexico protects — or fails to protect — its natural treasures. What remains clear is that, regardless of its legal status, Cerralvo Island — or Jacques Cousteau Island, renamed in honor of the famous oceanographer — stands as a symbol of marine biodiversity and national heritage that many believe must be preserved for future generations.
