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S  O C I A L W  E L L-  B E I N G & G  O V E R N A N C E I  N D I C A T O R S

C  U LT U R E

Conservation Objective

Sustainably manage marine and cultural resources while balancing the preservation of cultural traditions

with the emerging opportunities of the global marketplace. Achieve a higher quality of life in the region.

Threats

Economic growth, coastal development, tourism expansion, migration patterns, education level, and

quality and availability of marine resources are changing the Mesoamerican region's cultural identity.

The loss of ethno-languages, oral history, traditional cultural practices, and respect towards elders

threatens traditional cultural integrity and values.

Management Actions

· Develop a better understanding of cultural attitudes toward marine resources at the local

community level.

· Investigate the effects of economic growth, coastal development and migration on traditional

cultures.

· Encourage programs promoting traditional cultural values or sustainable cultural use of reef

ecosystems.

· Encourage work programs that promote gender equity in employment and education, and support

sustainable development or use of coastal marine resources.

· Promote awareness of non-material benefits of reef ecosystems.

· Integrate cultural values and services of reefs into decision-making, particularly in the EIA

planning process.

· Develop coastal zone management (CZM) plans that incorporate projected in-migration rates,

social infrastructure

Cultural indicators are helpful for identifying how

Inclusion of cultural indicators in discussions

stakeholders value reef resources in non-monetary

of ecosystem health is a fairly new endeavor.

terms and for generating effective advocacy tools for

Incorporating traditional knowledge and indigenous

protecting the reef environment. Cultural indicators

people's relationships with the natural ecosystem

track how indigenous or local communities have

may provide an approach to resource management

changed in association with changing reef health

different from that found in strictly economic or

or management, particularly in relation to resource

ecological approaches. Cultural beliefs, values and

extraction and availability. Too often policies are

behaviors may have both positive and negative

developed without considering important cultural

consequences on the reef ecosystem and are tied

concerns, resulting in less-respected and less-

to economy, governance, environment and human

effective implementation. Cultural indicators with

health.

direct ties to the environment can help insert cultural

priorities into policy development.

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