My study will examine the impacts and effectiveness of
community-based decision-making in the conservation efforts along
the Caribbean coast of Quintana Roo, Mexico. This project will
analyze whether significant differences in socioeconomic
opportunities and community sympathy towards conservation exist
between communities involved in decision-making and those that
are not. The following questions will be answered through the
comparative ethnographic analysis of two communities situated in
coastal Quintana Roo, Mexico: Does involvement in decision-making
significantly affect the socioeconomic opportunities in these
communities? Are there differences in community sentiment towards
conservation areas in accordance to their ability to directly
influence the policies of these areas? Exactly how are
communities integrated into the decision-making process, and what
impacts does formal inclusion in the institutions of governance
have for both individuals and
communities? How does local involvement in decision-making
integrate with the formal mechanisms of national, state, and
local conservation institutions? My guiding question is: What are
the real and perceived community effects of the
institutionalization of community-based management in the coastal
conservation of Quintana Roo, Mexico?
