REGIONAL CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FORUM

Last Friday the 16^th of May two members of GVI Mexico participated in the Regional Challenges and Opportunities Forum organized by El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, ECOSUR, in Chetumal, Quintana Roo. The main idea was to gather representatives of the three main decision making sectors i.e. business, academics and government, in order to discuss threats, opportunities, weaknesses and strengths regarding sustainable practices in the Southeastern Region.

The need of more fluent communication between scientists and businessmen was emphasized as they become a very strong synergism regarding sustainable development. In these terms 3 tables of discussion were opened: sustainable forestry, fishing and tourism. Although the three are very important, GVI could only participate in the two latter ones as those are the activities of most involvement. The conclusions of each one are as follows:

Sustainable Fishing Table:

Threats: the commercialization of illegal fishing products, tourism, not following sustainable fishing practices and lack of funds for education in the fishing sector to promote development in business and to assure state intervention when needed.

Some of the main challenges were: to erradicate corruption and apply fishing laws, harsher the punishment to people who break the law by fishing.

Strengths: fishing co-ops are owners of all their equipment including boats, nets, lines, rods. Fishing permits are necessary in certain times of the year and certain species, and the willingness to have protected areas and protected species.

Sustainable Tourism Table:

Threats: land ownership, scarce training and culture towards sustainable tourism, permissible laws and burocracy, corruption, inefficient programs, paternalism, global warming.

Opportunity areas: put in place indicators for Sustainable tourism and financial mechanisms; maintain cultural and ecological integrity, empower tourism as an aside activity in productive communities and not the only way to get income sources, adapt successful models to the regional needs. .

As a following from this synergy carried out between the three sectors, in this Forum, a working net or Agenda was proposed to be created. We are looking forward to having a follow-up meeting in the near future.

REGIONAL CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FORUM