Sustainability and balanced ecotourism management: Lessons from the whale watching in Laguna San Ignacio, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Abstract

This paper examines ecotourism from an ecological, economic, and social perspective and argues that integrated management provides more robust solutions that have a greater overall benefit for the local community, such as at Laguna San Ignacio(LSI) in the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve of Baja California Sur, Mexico. Integrated solutions recognize that there is a correlation between social and environmental injustice and the market, as well as the need to implement solutions that will address them at the same time. In many cases, the theory of ecotourism as sustainable development does not translate as smoothly into “on the ground” results. An indicator-based conceptual framework was therefore used to assess and identify some of the strengths and weaknesses of the existing initiatives at Laguna San Ignacio, as well as some recommendations for improvement. Future research should focus on developing new strategies for ecotourism and sustainability in the community as well as how they can be applied in other similar situations to achieve sustainable development.