Terms of reference towards an integrated management policy in the coastal zone of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean

Multifaceted Measures of Success in Two Mexican Marine Protected Areas

“…For there are downsides: environmentally, socially, and even economically. Quintana Roo has experienced effects similar to those of other ''big-tourism'' resort=enclaves, including unilateral growth; tourism services with a great dependence on foreign supplies and technology; loss of control of the model of development; beaches and hotel infrastructure that are controlled by foreign capital; proletarianization and urbanization of the populations of the region; growing inequality; elevated ecological costs; and highly concentrated ownership that has led to concentrated economic benefits Torres Maldonado 2000;Zarate Lomeli et al 1999;Arnaiz Burne 1997;Pi-Sunyer and Thomas 1997;Salazar Vallejo and Gonzalez 1994;GQR 1993).…”

Long-Term Fish Assemblage Dynamics of the Alvarado Lagoon Estuary, Veracruz, Mexico

“…However, environmental and ecological changes due to anthropogenic factors such as overexploitation of the resources, industrial contamination, and construction of dams have contributed to the progressive decrease in the quality and ecological value of estuaries (Whitfield and Elliot 2002). This increasing alteration of environmental quality and quantity contrasts with the recent classification of lagoonal systems as strategic areas for the conservation of biodiversity (CONABIO 1998, Zárate-Lomelí et al 1999. If the biodiversity of the Alvarado Lagoon Estuary is to be protected, it is necessary to determine which organisms are consistently present in the ecosystem and which appear to be declining in response to increased anthropogenic impacts.…”

Coupling Biophysical and Socioeconomic Models for Coral Reef Systems in Quintana Roo, Mexican Caribbean

“…Coral reefs in Quintana Roo have been subject to intense artisanal fishing since the 1960s (Burke et al 2004), and overexploitation of fishing resources is considered to be an important environmental impact in the region (Zárate Lomelí et al 1999). Key fisheries are the Caribbean spiny lobster (Panuliris argus), reef fish, and sharks, and these fisheries are commonly managed by fishing cooperatives that may have concessions to fish within protected areas such as the Puerto Morelos marine protected area (Rodríguez-Martínez 2008) and the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (AriasGonzález et al 2004).…”