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reefs and other coastal resources is often difficult because the various ways in which people utilize their natural resources is invariably related to a multitude of social,
cultural, and economic factors Nazarea et al., 1998; Stonich, 1992; Galvez et al., 1989; White, 1994; Pauly, 1990.
Figure 1.1. Quintana Roo and the Yucatan Peninsula
USA
Mexico Beliz
G l
Pacific Ocean At lantic Oce an
Q u in
t an
a R o o
Y u cat an
C am p
ech e
B el ize
M e x
ic o G
u ate m
a la
Yucatan Campeche
Quintana Roo
Mexico Guatemala
Belize Caribbean Sea
Cancun Cozumel
Tulum Bahia D e La Ascension
Bahia D el E spiritu Santu Costa M aya
Mahahual Chetumal
30 0 30 60 90 Kilometers
N
Quintana Roo, Mexico
Produced by Joshua Cinner. 2000. Source: ESRI
1.2 Perceptions About Resources Can Influence the Ways in Which Resources
Are Used and Managed Recent literature about natural resource management Pollnac et al., 1997;
Pollnac, 2000; Nazarea et al., 1998 highlights the importance of understanding and incorporating local perceptions into resource management initiatives. In their study of
perceptions about local resources in the Philippines, Nazarea et al.1998 noted that individuals and communities utilize their surrounding resources based on a variety of
social and cultural factors that shape their perceptions of the resource. Nazarea et al. 1998 claim “such factors can determine whether something is perceived as a
resource and put to extractive or sustainable use or, alternatively, dismissed and neglected-or actively exterminated- as a non-resource.”
Perceptions about resources determine not only how a resource is utilized, but also its relative value to the community. In a similar study about perceptions of
coastal resources in Indonesia, Pollnac 2000 discusses how the value that a community places on natural resources can have significant implications on how those
resources are managed. According to Pollnac 2000, the value that something has to an individual or community reflects the satisfaction that can be gained from it.
Satisfactions can be gained from something’s ability to satisfy basic needs such as food and shelter, or from its ability to fulfill loftier needs such as belonging and self-
actualization Pollnac, 2000. Nazarea et al. 1998 claim that exploring local perceptions about natural resources can provide:
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an understanding of local populations’ own internally defined standards, many of which are qualitative, non-monetary, non-material, and long-term and which often
define what makes life, society, and the environment worthwhile. These culturally defined standards may include aesthetic, emotional, moral, religious,
cosmological, and even inter-generational or “bequeath” considerations having a direct bearing on resource management.
For projects that aim to promote sustainable uses of coastal resources, it is important to understand which resources a community places values on and which
they do not. In a baseline assessment of two coastal communities, Pollnac 1997 states “It is essential to understand individual perceptions of factors influencing the
status of coastal resources prior to attempts to involve people in community-based management efforts.” According to Pollnac 2000; p.1, resource management
projects may need to “either direct outcomes at local values or somehow change these values.” Gaining an understanding of how local communities perceive natural
resources can allow developers of Integrated Coastal Management ICM
1
initiatives to adapt and refine management strategies to reflect the needs and desires of the
stakeholders.
1.3 Social and Economic Factors Influence Coastal Resource Use
