11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

21-41
Reef Conservation And Tourism Development An Open Item
Barbara REVELES GONZALEZ* 1 , Arturo ROMERO PAREDES 2
1 SER de Quintana Roo, A.C., Chetumal, Mexico, 2 Director, Ecoturismo y Nuevas
Tecnologias, Atizapan de Zaragoza, Mexico
In Mexico it´s economic incomes are based on: the sale of the petroleum, the tourism and
the entrance of currencies by remittances of Mexicans that work in the United States
(US).
In the case of the petroleum is an energy source that has gone exhausting and that
currently is considered little viable for the future; for the case of those of remittances
originating from Mexican workers in US the current tendency indicates that the next
years was stabilized the entrance of currencies for this way and will tend a slope by the
adoption of restrictive measures toward the entrance Mexican workers to US
In the case of the tourism is Quintana Roo the state of Mexico that more currencies enters
for this activity, its cultural and natural attractions have become place the priority inside
the municipal, state, and national development plans; the previous thing has had and will
have a very high cost in case of modify not the current strategy of development.
In the present document the development of Quintana Roo is reviewed as focal point of
the sun-and-sand-tourism of the last 20 years; taking into account the loss of ecosystems
and habitats like: coral reefs, mangrove swamps, seagrass beds, among another; the
overuse of the natural resources (fishing resources, vegetation) and the current tendencies
of development based on the Land Use Programs the ones that have been adequate the
needs of the large hotel chains and/or private economic interests.
The cost-benefits of development as until now has been conducted in relation to natural
resources is too high, it is necessary to adopt long-term strategies result in the
conservation of natural resources. It is the modification of environmental and
development policies which will generate a sustainable future for a very long time.
Key words: coral reef, tourism, Quintana Roo
Oral Mini-Symposium 21: Social-ecological Systems
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