Marine Protected Areas And Tourism

To protect marine ecosystems, marine protected areas (MPAs) must often balance the interests and uses of multiple stakeholders, from fisheries and tourism industries to research and conservation interests.

- Stephanie Stefanski

Successful management and implementation of policies requires stakeholder buy-in, vigilant oversight and enforcement, and community participation throughout the decision-making process to ensure regulations align with community willingness and ability to follow those rules. Otherwise, a marine protection area will be in name only.

Tourism stakeholders, particularly whale and dolphin watching excursions, are increasingly contributing to local economies and have the most to gain from protecting key habitats in MPAs, such as reproductive, calving, and feeding grounds. The eco-tourism activities, in turn, can also contribute to the protection of their marine environment. Many environmental economic studies demonstrate that visitors are willing to pay higher entrance fees if they know these fees will contribute toward the conservation of the site. Local communities can also work together to develop, implement, and enforce guidelines to ensure the sustainable use of an area, and to mitigate the impact of tourism activities on MPAs.

Throughout Latin America, there are several examples of successful MPAs that support marine conservation and local economies, and of local communities supporting these MPAs and their wildlife through collaboration and collective action.

El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve

The El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve in Mexico includes Laguna Ojo de Liebre, the first ever MPA designated to protect marine mammals. Created in 1971, the primary goal of the MPA was to protect the mating and calving grounds of the gray whale. Today, El Vizcaino is the largest MPA in Mexico and supports a thriving local tourism industry during the whale watching months of December to April. The number of annual visitors has increased from 10,000 in 1994 to more than 25,000 today. These visitors generate over US$170,000 in economic value per year.