Regional Landscape Change in Fishing Communities of the Mexican North Pacific

Abstract

The study of rural communities is a key element in understanding economic activities and conserving successful methods of resource management and social organisation. The conceptual and operational research axes were interdisciplinary environmental geography and integrative concept landscape. A participatory geographic information system (PGIS) was built to incorporate scientific and local knowledge. Regional landscape changes were analysed in fishing communities of the Mexican North Pacific, based on three historical maps. The main land- and seascape changes were: extensive stockbreeding disappeared; intensive agriculture increased; human settlements expanded; and fishing zones were created, divided and expanded seawards. Marine environment was the most changeable territory, reflecting the dominance of fishing activities. The PGIS proved to be a useful tool for identifying and understanding the changes in fishery management and the resulting dynamics of marine landscape zoning in the various communities, and in future projects would be equally applicable to coastal management and territorial organisation.