Problems of the management of the Natural Protected Areas of Mexico: an analysis in the Biosphere Reserves of Los Tuxtlas and Los Petenes

Abstract

Mexico is one of the countries richest in biodiversity, but it also suffers a remarkable exploitation of its natural resources. The declaration of protected areas has become one of the main strategies in Mexico to conserve nature. The article analyses the challenges of this tool for territorial management, drawing from the concept of management capacity. This analysis is based on an appropriate literature review and the study of two cases, the biosphere reserves Los Tuxtlas and Los Petenes, with the application of semi-structures interviews with key actors. The results show that while the protected territories have contributed to reduce the destruction of the natural heritage, it still is subject to severe impacts, caused by the insufficient resources available for environmental politics, which weakens the management capacity and, consequentially, makes it difficult to reach the conservation goals.