Coastal habitats at Holbox Island and Yalahau Lagoon provide an array of environmental services. However issues related to the availability of freshwater and living space have grown at the Island by the increasing coastal migration and tourism-based economy. Holbox belongs to the Yum Balam Natural Protected Area; however no management plans are active. We have an ongoing research to study the water quality of 12 tidal inlets, which are geomorphological features of barrier islands, and hotels have been constructed nearby. Because no previous studies of the water quality of tidal inlets at Holbox Island exists, we will compare our results with values of water...
Portfolio
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Fisher’s perceptions of long-term coastal exploitation in the North coast of Quintana Roo, Mexico
This study will document long-term coastal exploitation in the North Coast of Quintana Roo through an interdisciplinary approach that integrates ecological, historical, and archaeological data on coastal exploitation, together with traditional fishers’ knowledge, collected through surveys. This perspective is timely in Quintana Roo since overexploitation of coastal fisheries and large-scale tourism has anthropized and disrupted the long-term relationship local communities peoples had with the sea. Our results will be open-access in an online repository and can provide guidelines for developing policies focused on sustainably managing coastal...
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Historical Ecology in the North Coast of Quintana Roo
The historical ecology work related to coastal exploitation during my PhD studies is what I enjoyed most, and I am pursuing this line of research for my future projects. I am interested in studying how coastal exploitation has evolved, from ancient cultures to the present and how this information can be integrated into current conservation actions for coastal resources and landscapes. In my PhD study area in Marismas Nacionales wetlands along the west coast of Mexico, contemporary exploitation by local fishermen has intensified by using unsustainable fishing practices. This has degraded the ecological and social environment. However through my historical...
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PhD Research on Coastal Ecosystem Services
My PhD research focused on the ecosystem services that coastal wetlands of Northwest Mexico provide at different temporal and spatial scales. More specifically, I studied three aspects of the Marismas Nacionales wetlands system, which include:A historical analysis of the available fishery resources and fishing techniques used by local communities in Marismas Nacionales from pre-Columbian times to the present. For this, I studied archaeological literature, visited national and international archives in Mexico and Spain, and used recent literature from many disciplines.The fisheries value of the mangroves to the local fishing communities in Marismas...
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Marine Mammal Acoustic Research
I worked on diverse projects related to studying cetacean population structure and behavior using acoustics as a tool. This happened when I was a field technician (2006-2008) at Dr. John Hildebrand’s laboratory at the Marine Physical Laboratory (MPL) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. My activities involved: Laboratory work: analysis of data sets, development of automatic whale call detectors in minke whales, blue whales, fin whales, and sperm whales. Field work: research vessel investigations off the coast of California, the Gulf of California and Palmyra Atoll. Outreach activities: I participated in spreading the language and content of scientific...
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Molecular Ecology Research for Marine Mammal Conservation
Back in 1999 as an undergraduate student in Marine Biology I was a crew member of the Voyage of the Odyssey in the Gulf of California. Since then until 2007 I worked and collaborated on diverse projects related to the ecology and molecular ecology of sperm whales and other cetaceans. When I graduated from my bachelor’s degree I leaded a small projected related to sex determination of sperm whales in the Gulf of California in collaboration with the Conservation Genetics Laboratory at Southwest fisheries Science Center, Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas del Noroestas and the Ocean Alliance publication link. This project opened many doors to continue working...
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Caribbean Coral Reefs
My early education included a strong formative period that provided intellectual and physically discovery of marine environments, and witness anthropogenic threats to marine species and coastal landscapes. During this time, I was a summer intern at the Parque Nacional Isla Contoy in the State of Quintana Roo, located at the confluence of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Here I participated in diverse projects related to the impact of lobster fishery to coral reef fish, and the monitoring of the sea turtle and brown pelican populations. I loved exploring the coastal ecosystems of Isla Contoy on a daily basis while I was there, however diving for fish monitoring...