A New Long-Term Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Program for the Knowledge and Management in Marine Protected Areas of the Mexican Caribbean

Susana Perera-Valderrama, Sergio Cerdeira-Estrada, Raúl Martell-Dubois, Laura Rosique- de la Cruz, Hansel Caballero-Aragón, Jaime Valdez-Chavarin, José López-Perea and Rainer Ressl
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Susana Perera-Valderrama: National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), Liga Periférico—Insurgentes Sur 4903, Parques del Pedregal, Tlalpan, 14010 Mexico City, Mexico
Sergio Cerdeira-Estrada: National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), Liga Periférico—Insurgentes Sur 4903, Parques del Pedregal, Tlalpan, 14010 Mexico City, Mexico
Raúl Martell-Dubois: National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), Liga Periférico—Insurgentes Sur 4903, Parques del Pedregal, Tlalpan, 14010 Mexico City, Mexico
Laura Rosique- de la Cruz: National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), Liga Periférico—Insurgentes Sur 4903, Parques del Pedregal, Tlalpan, 14010 Mexico City, Mexico
Hansel Caballero-Aragón: National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), Liga Periférico—Insurgentes Sur 4903, Parques del Pedregal, Tlalpan, 14010 Mexico City, Mexico
Jaime Valdez-Chavarin: National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), Liga Periférico—Insurgentes Sur 4903, Parques del Pedregal, Tlalpan, 14010 Mexico City, Mexico
José López-Perea: National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), Liga Periférico—Insurgentes Sur 4903, Parques del Pedregal, Tlalpan, 14010 Mexico City, Mexico
Rainer Ressl: National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), Liga Periférico—Insurgentes Sur 4903, Parques del Pedregal, Tlalpan, 14010 Mexico City, Mexico

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 18, 1-19

Abstract: In the Mexican Caribbean, 15 marine protected areas (MPAs) have been established for managing and protecting marine ecosystems. These MPAs receive high anthropogenic pressure from coastal development, tourism, and fishing, all in synergy with climate change. To contribute to the MPAs’ effectiveness, it is necessary to provide a long-term observation system of the condition of marine ecosystems and species. Our study proposes the establishment of a new marine biodiversity monitoring program (MBMP) focusing on three MPAs of the Mexican Caribbean. Five conservation objects (COs) were defined (coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves, marine turtles, and sharks-rays) for their ecological relevance and the pressures they are facing. Coral reef, seagrass and mangroves have multiple biological, biogeochemical and physical interactions. Marine turtles are listed as endangered species, and the status of their populations is unknown in the marine area of the MPAs. Elasmobranchs play a key role as top and medium predators, and their populations have been poorly studied. Indicators were proposed for monitoring each CO. As a technological innovation, all information obtained from the MBMP will be uploaded to the Coastal Marine Information and Analysis System (SIMAR), a public, user-friendly and interactive web platform that allows for automatic data management and processing.

Keywords: marine ecosystems; monitoring protocols; indicators; web data management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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