Governance and effects of marine reserves in the Gulf of California, Mexico

We trace the evolution, governance, and effects of three marine reserve (no-take zones) initiatives in the Gulf of California, Mexico: Loreto Bay National Park, Puerto Peñasco, and San Pedro Mártir Island Biosphere Reserve. Preliminary monitoring results, although highly variable, are encouraging for conservation and fisheries management. However, open access situations and differing conceptions among local stakeholders and government concerning access rights to fishing grounds, coupled with limited support for surveillance and lags between local and government institutional arrangements and interests, are the main constraints for the success of these and future reserves in the region. We discuss the main social-ecological feedbacks at play and the implications of our findings within a regional context.