From unsustainability to symbiosis: a socio-ecological assessment of Cabo Pulmo National Park in the face of climate change
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This marine social science project aims to increase the visibility of the inextricable connection between marine conservation, sustainability, and human wellbeing through a socio-ecological approach. The case of Cabo Pulmo National Park is studied in order to assess the potential of marine ecosystem goods and services, particularly ecotourism, as incentives for the ongoing effectiveness of marine protected areas.
Due to climate change during this century, environmental, social and economic impacts will become major challenges for humanity.
We Are One Ocean is an interdisciplinary project that involves environmental, social, and economic sciences. Through innovative and artistic ways, it is intended to communicate the most relevant information about the three pillars of this research: Marine Protected Areas, Ocean Literacy, and Ecosystem Goods and Services. All of this being framed in the context of climate change, a global issue that demands creative and strategic solutions to increase societal and environmental resilience to the best of our abilities. See below a graphical representation of the three pillars and project design.
Marine Protected Areas are a policy instrument that aims for conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems [12]. As per the IUCN, MPAs are “a clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values” [12].
There are several degrees of protection that range from minimally protected to fully protected, and as of today, only 8.2 % of the ocean is under protection [13]. The MPAs termed “no-take” are a highly protected zone where removing or destroying natural and cultural resources is not allowed [14]. No-take zones are the most effective type; in them, fish biomass can increase 670 % more than in unprotected areas, and 343 % more than in partially protected areas [15]. National parks, such as CPNP, fall into Category II of natural protected areas; these are “large natural or near-natural areas protecting large-scale ecological processes with characteristic species and ecosystems, which also have environmentally and culturally compatible spiritual, scientific, educational, recreational and visitor opportunities” [16].
Stakeholder engagement is crucial for MPA effectiveness, as it influences planning, governance, monitoring, legitimacy, and communication [17-18]. Besides having S.M.A.R.T. objectives (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound) [19], it has been suggested that “NEOLI” characteristics increase the likelihood of the MPA accomplishing conservation [20]:
N – No-take (the most effective type)
E – Enforced (legal compliance and effective policy mixes)
O – Old (more that 10 years of antiquity)
L – Large (spanning over more that 100 km2)
I – Isolated (either by sand or deep sea)
Ecosystem goods and services (ESs) are the direct and indirect benefits that people obtain from nature [21]. The most widely accepted categorisation of ESs is the one proposed by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, which divides them into supporting, regulating, provisioning, and cultural [22]. The following table shows some examples of ESs and their characteristics per type [23]:
| Type | Characteristics | Examples |
| Provisioning | Products obtained from ecosystems |
|
| Regulating | Benefits obtained from regulation of ecosystem |
|
| Supporting | Services necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services |
|
| Cultural | Nonmaterial benefits obtained from ecosystem |
|
It has been estimated that the total monetary value of global ecosystem services is equal to US$46 trillion per year [24]. Economic valuation of ESs, although relevant for scientific communication purposes since it translates information to a language understood by policymakers and lay audiences, has been argued by some to be meaningless, because, without them, human life would cease to exist, which must mean that their value is infinite [25].
Ocean Literacy can be broadly defined as “one’s understanding of the ocean’s influence on us, and our influence on the ocean” [26]. It has been suggested that Ocean Literacy can enact human behavioural change, and by doing so, contribute to the alleviation of contemporary environmental issues [27] such as climate change, ocean acidification, eutrophication, and biodiversity loss amongst others [28].
Ocean literacy has seven core principles [29]:
Principle number six is about connectedness, and it is the inspiration behind the project’s short title “We Are One Ocean.” The marine environment is the source of more than half of the air we breathe [30]. It is expected to become an increasingly important source of food with rising human population [31]. Currently, more than three billion people rely on marine and coastal ecosystems for their livelihoods and food security [32]. The ocean, which covers more than 70 % of the global surface, is profoundly linked to the atmosphere; they influence each other and regulate climate on Earth [33].
Key takeaway messages
The effectiveness of an MPA is an ongoing process that requires work and a holistic approach [10]. While numerous studies have been carried out in CPNP, a place that exemplifies how conservation, species recovery, and economic activities can coexist, the sustainability model of the MPA remains a fragile conservation case due to development itself [1]. There have been several attempts of large coastal development projects that have been perceived in the past as threats to the local ideal of sustainable development [6]. Some researchers point out that in time, if concerns about governance, equality, inclusion, authority, and rights are not addressed, CPNP could risk being a story of biological success that ends by failing because of a lack of focus on socio-political factors [10]. Despite the undeniable success of CPNP as a MPA, the community of Cabo Pulmo faces some internal challenges of social, political, economic and infrastructural character such as lack of adequate public water and power systems, health services, and defined public spaces [1]. Socio-ecological research can build on more than twenty years of environmental studies in order to strengthen the local development plan [1].
Instead of treating them as separate elements, socio-ecology studies humans and nature as part of a whole, both of which are dynamic and continuously influence each other. From a socio-ecological systems perspective, “the delineation between social and natural systems is artificial and arbitrary” [34]. Marine social science can be defined as “any area of work that relates to the relationship between society and the sea,” it can involve art, humanities, economics, anthropology, governance, sociology, psychology, and sustainable development among several others [35].
In order to craft a stronger sustainable model, it is important to recognise that the economy is a subsystem of society, which is in turn a subsystem of the biosphere. In the past, economy, society, and the environment have been treated as separate, when evidence supports that ultimately, all of human wellbeing depends on the biosphere capacity and balance [34].
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