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POVERT Y

ORITY ON

RI

SW4

RE

TH

EF

S FOR HEAL

What Is It?

What

BENCHMARK

Poverty rates are expressed as the proportion of the

Reduce

Reduce poverty by 25% in each of the

total coastal population living in conditions of poverty.

coastal municipalities.

coastal

Poverty conditions are generally measured through

two methods: (a) the poverty line method, and (b) the

TA R G E T

unsatisfied basic needs method.

Reduce

Reduce poverty by 50% in each of the

The poverty line method defines poverty based on

coastal municipalities (consistent with

household expenditures relative to the cost of acquiring

Millennium Development Goal 1).

a basic food basket in the country. The unsatisfied

basic needs (UBN) method defines poverty based on

RED FL AG

the extent to which individuals are deprived of one

or more basic needs. Basic needs include adequate

No reduction in poverty rates over

shelter, water and sewage services, and access to

current levels.

current

education and health services.

No one poverty indicator is strictly comparable across

the four MAR countries. At present, the development

of poverty measures is in different stages in each

UBN poverty rates are generated from population and

country. It is likely that increased standardization and

household censuses. These estimates are sometimes

improved poverty measurements will be available in

updated in intercensal periods with models using

the near future.

population projections and the results of annual multi-

purpose household survey samples to project census

Why Do We Measure It?

Why

data percentages to current dates.

Poverty rates in coastal communities provide an overall

Usefulness

view of the economic status of the coastal population

relative to the rest of the nation and coastal region.

Assessments of poverty are useful in determining

Poverty can also indicate the levels of livelihood

whether the local economy, including marine-based

opportunities and sustainable resource use in coastal

activities, is providing the population with livelihoods

communities. For example, in fishing-dependent

that ensure a reasonable standard of living for the

communities, high levels of poverty may indicate

population. In general, if direct or indirect marine-

decimation of the fishery while lower levels of poverty

based economic activities are profitable and there

may indicate more sustainable fishery management.

is relatively equitable access to and distribution of

Higher local poverty rates may also indicate a greater

resources, then poverty line levels should be lower

likelihood of unsustainable pressures on available

among coastal communities dependent on the marine

natural resources.

environment for livelihood, so long as the resources

are maintained.

How Do We Measure It?

For example, assuming a lack of widespread economic

Poverty line estimates are generated using either

alternatives in other livelihoods, it may be expected

household income and expenditure surveys or similar

that if commercially valuable species such as lobster

specialized Living Standards Measurement Study

and conch become scarce or if reef health deteriorates

(LSMS) household surveys. A disadvantage of these

significantly, then these declines will result in a rise in

surveys is that the sample size generally permits

poverty.

inferences to be made regarding poverty rates at the

national and regional but not local (provincial and

Status

municipal) levels. Furthermore, although national

censuses provide detailed data on all households,

Districts, municipalities and departments with high

they are conducted only once per decade, and they

levels of coastal tourism development -- such as

generally do not gather the income and consumption

Benito Juarez (Cancun), Isla Mujeres, Solidaridad

data required to generate poverty line information.

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