Do not underestimate your Even expert opinions are Continuously communicate, Anticipate and overcome

InterCoast • Spring 2000 By Wendy Garpow S ustainability indicators are becoming common elements of coastal zone management.There are ample models for monitoring and evaluating the impacts of coastal management efforts see InterCoast 29, Fall 1997, many of which offer lists of standardized indicators. However, many stan- dardized indicators do not apply to, nor represent specific commu- nities.This article presents a sum- mary of an indicator-monitoring project and offers some lessons learned in the continual quest for developing ideal site-specific sus- tainability indicators. Case Study: Akumal, Mexico Akumal is the oldest tourism community on the Caribbean coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.The town occupies 3.4 km of coast in the center of the region known as the Riviera Maya, a 140-km corri- dor from Cancun to Tulum. In between are white beaches and dense jungles that are speckled with small independent towns, tourism resorts, traditional Maya villages and ancient ruins. Like all communities along the Rivieria Maya, Akumal is being faced with increasing tourism development as Cancun’s tourism industry expands. There appears to be an inverse correlation between the number of tourists and the quality of Akumal’s coastal environment.Tourism impacts Akumal’s marine environ- ment through inadequate sewage treatment, increased impervious surface, illegal landfilling, overfish- ing and the conversion of wetlands and mangroves into land for con- dominiums and parking. This research was undertaken to identify sustainability indicators and develop a monitoring plan to explain the linkages between Akumal’s tourism development and the condition of the marine envi- ronment−particularly the coral reef. Twenty-two sustainability indica- tors were identified following the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD Pressure-State-Response framework 1993. For these indicators, monitor- ing protocols were devel- oped and baseline data was collected for Akumal. Throughout the process, the list of indicators and the monitoring plan were continually refined to ensure the variables were feasible, efficient and effec- tive. Described are eight very basic, yet often ignored or misunder- stood, approaches learned learning the process of defining and refining indicators. Eight Lessons Learned

1. Do not underestimate your

time horizon Identifying useful indicators is a time consuming and difficult

2. Even expert opinions are

not perfect Local stakeholders truly are the experts regarding the economic, environmental and social sustain- ability of their community, but noone ever has perfect knowledge or information.While stakeholders may be the researcher’s best source of information, they definitely should not be the only source. Researchers should confirm and re-check what has been presented as fact via multiple key informants, personal observation and literature review. Even then, it is not assured that the information is 100 percent correct, or that it will not be chal- lenged in the future.

3. Continuously communicate,

but do not inundate Indicator development is a con- tinually evolving process that requires continuous stakeholder involvement. In most cases, it is better to spend too much rather than too little time on personal communications. However, com- municating with stakeholders is tedious and impersonal by E-mail, yet costly and logistically challeng- 16 I NDICA T ORS Sign at entrance of Centro Ecologico Akumal. InterCoast • Spring 2000

4. Anticipate and overcome

communication barriers It is extremely important yet difficult to communicate with all stakeholders.There were several extremely important individuals in the Akumal community who were active stakeholders but were unable to participate because the work- shop conflicted with work sched- ules locals who were not business or property owners, but rather the typical residents of Akumal. Nevertheless, many became key informants during the data collec- tion process, and thus contributed greatly to the research. Language barriers caused diffi- culties. Effective research can only be accomplished if the researcher is able to communicate in all lan- guages of the study region. Many Akumalians only speak Yucatec Maya, a difficult, infrequently stud- ied language. Because communica- tion in Yucatec Maya was not possi- ble, that segment was neglected. This inability to communicate ren- dered the research findings incom- plete, thus misrepresentative of this community.The lack of advanced Spanish and Yucatec Maya also pre- vented dissemination of the research findings to those people who would benefit most from the findings.

5. Beware of bias