Are Marine Areas a Protection of Biodiversity or Are They Only Determined Areas for Economic Purposes? The Case of Isla Cozumel

Abstract

A common issue in defining marine protected areas is the often-vague boundaries, despite widespread GPS use. Identifying conservation zones varies but generally involves assessing species diversity, with choices based on ecological or economic value—usually at the manager’s discretion. This study suggests prioritizing areas with maximum diversity, focusing on six reef groups: hard and soft corals, macroalgae, sponges, hydrozoans, and anemones. Data from photo-transects and species collections at 18 sites in Cozumel’s marine park were analysed using geostatistical Kriging to delineate zones. The results highlight the southern part of the island as the most diverse and in need of protection.

Keywords

Biodiversity / Kriging / Coral reef / National Park / Cozumel Island / Quintana Roo / Mexico

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to acknowledge Alicia González-Solis for her comments on the manuscript and the entire team at the Coral Reef Functional Groups Laboratory and its students for their support during the various field campaigns.

Ethics Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

The data in this manuscript were obtained from the Laboratory of Functional Groups in Coral Reefs of the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the IPN. Unit Merida. And they are available upon request.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The author declares that he has no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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