Conserving Critical Coastal Ecosystems in Mexico

Santa Maria Bay Management

As part of its work in Bahia Santa Maria, Mexico, the Coastal Resources Center became a key player in a path-breaking initiative to prepare a conservation and development plan that wove together the sectoral policies and highly fragmented administration of the uses of Bahia Santa Maria Bay into a coherent vision and integrative structure for bay decision-making. This was the first time in the Gulf of California region that authorities, community members and bay users were brought together to work for an extended period of time to identify issues and prepare a management strategy for this actively utilized 285,000-hectare coastal ecosystem.