Healthy People
Environmental Policy and Law Indicators
Information on environmental policy and institutions can be developed into informative ‘response’ indicators of how society responds and takes action to alleviate or prevent negative impacts on the ecosystem (e.g., management strategies, regulatory actions). Each of the four countries in the Mesoamerican Reef Ecosystem (MAR) has numerous policies, laws, and regulations in place that are relevant to reef ecosystem health. However, there is no consistent way to measure their ability to achieve their stated objectives. The development and implementation of these policies are both critical factors for success. Laws and policies regarding protected areas, protected species, fisheries, coastal development guidelines and tourism management are particularly important to MAR reef ecosystem health. The purpose of this theme is to measure the development and implementation of the most relevant policies affecting or contributing to reef ecosystem health.
Specific issues include:
• What is the ideal set of policies and institutions that need to be in place to guarantee the reef’s health?• How can we determine cause-effect relationships between environmental policies/laws and conservation outcomes?
