Modelo interdisciplinario de indicadores de vulnerabilidad de la comunidad biótica de los bosques de Macrocystis pyrifera en la costa del Pacífico de Baja California

Abstract

Macrocystis pyrifera forests are one of the most productive ecosystems in the North Pacific, sheltering high ecological and commercialy valued species whose fisheries generate employment and currency for the state of Baja California. Because of its importance we developed an index to assess the vulnerability of the biotic community associated with these ecosistems. The Pressure-State-Response model provided the current state of the system, the pressures exerted on them and the responses that users have developed to mitigate impacts. The model was constructed from interdisciplinary data: in situ sampling, satellite images, fishing catches and interviews to fisheries organizations. We found that most of Baja Californian M. pyrifera forests have medium vulnerability, highlighting Bajamar and Salsipuedes with very low vulnerability; on the contrary, El Campito and El Rosario Sur presented the highest vulnerability values. El Rosario Sur has very high fishing pressure due to eight organizations fishing in the area, all of them with legal permits. This situation generates social and ecological conflicts due to the fact that free access to the area do not allow the organizations to compromise to care and manage their resources; differing from other sites where access control and conservation attitude have shown to work. The integration of results from the interviews confirmed that the attitude of conservation by fishermen is favored if there is a strong attachment or sense of belonging to the place where they fish, as well as having lived experiences of crisis in relation to its activity. Also, the response actions developed by fishing organizations affect positively the state and vulnerability of M. pyrifera forests. The model constructed is a useful tool for the diagnosis of the current state of the kelp forests in Baja California, and can be applied to monitor future trends of its components, providing elements for a better decision-making regarding the management of the resources that inhabit these ecosystems. Keywords: Baja California, Macrocystis pyrifera, fishing, PSR, vulnerabilidad.