Development and Structural Organization of Mexico’s Mangrove Monitoring System (SMMM) as a Foundation for Conservation and Restoration Initiatives: A Hierarchical Approach

Abstract

Mangroves provide ecosystem services worth billions of dollars worldwide. Although countries with extensive mangrove areas implemented management and conservation programs since the 1980s, the global area is still decreasing. To recuperate this lost area, both restoration and rehabilitation (R/R) projects have been implemented but with limited success, especially at spatial scales needed to restore functional properties. Monitoring mangroves at different spatial scales in the long term (decades) is critical to detect potential threats and select cost-effective management criteria and performance measures to improve R/R program success. Here, we analyze the origin, development, implementation, and outcomes of a country-level mangrove monitoring system in the Neotropics covering >9000 km2 over 15 years. The Mexico’s Mangrove Monitoring System (SMMM) considers a spatiotemporal hierarchical approach as a conceptual framework where remote sensing is a key component. We analyze the role of the SMMM’s remote sensing products as a “hub” of multi- and interdisciplinary ecological and social-ecological studies to develop national priorities and inform local and regional mangrove management decisions. We propose that the SMMM products, outcomes, and lessons learned can be used as a blueprint in other developing countries where cost-effective R/R projects are planned as part of mangrove protection, conservation, and management programs.

Mangrove tourism management strategies and policies towards sustainable mangrove tourism: a comparison study between Mexico and Indonesia

“…Second, the mangrove monitoring system. The mangrove monitoring system implemented in Mexico, the Mexican Mangrove Monitoring System (SMMM) managed by the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), is the best long-term monitoring system in the world because it uses data updates every 5 years and uses remote sensing monitoring systems to inform more effective mangrove management policies (Kumagai et al, 2020;Rodríguez-Zúñiga, 2022). This system has integrated not only data on the loss and gain of mangrove areas from an ecological aspect, but also data on local socio-economic characteristics as well (Rodríguez-Zúñiga, 2022).…”

“…Information on mangroves in Mexico is collected through the SMMM by the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), an organization established specifically by the Mexican government to recognize the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem conservation, including mangroves, and to empower communities to conserve mangroves in tourism sites (Rodríguez-Zúñiga, 2022). Despite the growing influence of the economic development sector, a monitoring system integrated with funding by several other government agencies for CONABIO programs is thought to have enabled better mangrove conservation to take place (Rodríguez-Zúñiga, 2022).…”

“…Information on mangroves in Mexico is collected through the SMMM by the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), an organization established specifically by the Mexican government to recognize the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem conservation, including mangroves, and to empower communities to conserve mangroves in tourism sites (Rodríguez-Zúñiga, 2022). Despite the growing influence of the economic development sector, a monitoring system integrated with funding by several other government agencies for CONABIO programs is thought to have enabled better mangrove conservation to take place (Rodríguez-Zúñiga, 2022). In addition, the main government agency managing the development of coastal areas is housed in the inter-ministerial Commission for the Sustainable Management of Seas and Coasts (CIMARES) (United Nations, 2023) -Arriaga et al, 2019), it is thought that coordination could potentially be better given the need for strong inter-stakeholder coordination and that a legal instrument could help improve coordination (Friess et al, 2016).…”