Ecoturismo marino en el golfo de California y península de Baja California: tendencias de investigación y vacíos de información

Achieving equitable and sustainable ecotourism requires a wide range of multidisciplinary and cross-scale information, particularly given the growing scale of ecotourism operations and continuing governance and climate challenges. Ecosystems in Mexico’s Gulf of California and Baja California Peninsula support a thriving ecotourism industry that has quickly expanded over the last few decades, potentially outpacing research into current performance and future sustainable development opportunities. We develop and apply a formal literature review approach to characterize academic marine ecotourism literature, highlight key insights and identify research strengths and gaps, and thus analyse almost 50 publications for the region from 1994 to 2014. There has been a significant increase in the number of various types of publications; most (68%) focus on ecological themes, 25% on economics, and 7% on social aspects of human wellbeing. There are also trends towards research on specific species (e.g. mammals, fish and sharks) and in specific areas. A common theme in publication conclusions is the need for collaboration from all stakeholder groups. We discuss these findings, and address potential limitations of our method, with a view to informing sound policies to ensure that ecotourism can provide equitable benefits to local communities while incentivizing sustainable practices and nature conservation.El desarrollo equitativo y sostenible del ecoturismo debe considerar una amplia gama de información multidisciplinaria y a varias escalas, particularmente dada la creciente magnitud de las operaciones de ecoturismo y los retos de gobernanza y climáticos. Los ecosistemas en el golfo de California y península de Baja California en México mantienen a una próspera industria de ecoturismo que se ha expandido rápidamente a lo largo de las últimas décadas, posiblemente dejando atrás a la investigación respecto a sus operaciones actuales y las oportunidades para el desarrollo sostenible a futuro. Desarrollamos y aplicamos una revisión formal de literatura para caracterizar a las publicaciones académicas respecto al ecoturismo, señalar tendencias clave e identificar fortalezas y vacíos de investigación, analizando casi 50 publicaciones para la región desde 1994 al 2014. Ha habido un incremento significativo en la cantidad de publicaciones de varios tipos; la mayoría (68%) se enfocan en temas ecológicos, 25% en economía y 7% en aspectos sociales del bienestar humano. También existe una tendencia hacia investigación de ciertas especies (e.g. mamíferos, peces, tiburones) y en regiones específicas. Un tema común en las conclusiones de las publicaciones analizadas es la necesidad de colaboración por todos los grupos de actores. Discutimos estos resultados, y las posibles limitaciones de nuestro método, en el contexto de informar políticas adecuadas para asegurar que el ecoturismo pueda proveer beneficios equitativos a comunidades locales al mismo tiempo que se incentivan las prácticas sostenibles y la conservación de la naturaleza

Ecotourism or Ecotour-ish? Evaluation of Marine-Based Ecotourism in Marine Protected Areas of Baja California Sur

This study focuses on the small, but growing marine-based ecotourism industry in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. The current nature of this particular industry, small and expanding, creates an ideal opportunity to evaluate the existing marine ecotourism operations, and utilize the information to modify operations and set precedence for the future marine ecotourism industry. The aim of this evaluation is to provide a glimpse of the current industry in Baja California Sur by evaluating marine ecotourism operations in three locations, Laguna San Ignacio, La Paz, and Cabo Pulmo. Since prior evaluations are limited, and only focus on a single location, this evaluation will cover multiple locations and serve as an overview of the current marine ecotourism industry, providing marine ecotourism operators, local communities, NGOs, and protected area managers an indication of where the marine ecotourism industry in Baja California Sur is succeeding, and where modifications can be made to further reduce negative environmental impacts and maximize socio-economic benefits for the local community

Ecotourism or Ecotour-ish? Evaluation of Marine-Based Ecotourism in Marine Protected Areas of Baja California Sur

This study focuses on the small, but growing marine-based ecotourism industry in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. The current nature of this particular industry, small and expanding, creates an ideal opportunity to evaluate the existing marine ecotourism operations, and utilize the information to modify operations and set precedence for the future marine ecotourism industry. The aim of this evaluation is to provide a glimpse of the current industry in Baja California Sur by evaluating marine ecotourism operations in three locations, Laguna San Ignacio, La Paz, and Cabo Pulmo. Since prior evaluations are limited, and only focus on a single location, this evaluation will cover multiple locations and serve as an overview of the current marine ecotourism industry, providing marine ecotourism operators, local communities, NGOs, and protected area managers an indication of where the marine ecotourism industry in Baja California Sur is succeeding, and where modifications can be made to further reduce negative environmental impacts and maximize socio-economic benefits for the local community