Marine ecotourism in the Gulf of California and the Baja California Peninsula: Research trends and information gaps

Andrew F. Johnson; Claire Gonzales; Amanda Townsel; Andrés M. Cisneros-Montemayor

doi:10.3989/scimar.04880.14A

Autores/as

Andrew F. Johnson MarFishEco Fisheries Consultants https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3365-8768
Claire Gonzales MarFishEco Fisheries Consultants - Blue Latitudes https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0436-6531
Amanda Townsel MarFishEco Fisheries Consultants - Katuvi https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9892-8637
Andrés M. Cisneros-Montemayor Nippon Foundation Nereus Program, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4132-5317

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.04880.14A

Palabras clave:

ecosistema costero, conservación, literatura, recreación, ingresos, turismo

Resumen

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.

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