The Need for an Integrated Landscape Management Approach Illustrated by the Analysis of the Participation in the Ecologic Spatial Planning of Benito Juárez, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Abstract

This paper exposes the need to use an integrated landscape management approach for sustainable development through the co-responsible participation of all stakeholders based upon the analysis of the ecologic spatial planning of the municipality of Benito Juárez, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The results of interviews with stakeholders are integrated by a set of indicators and translated into four participation levels and sustainability ranks. In Benito Juárez, most participation is done by government stakeholders and through mechanisms of citizen participation, such as public opinion polls, whereas the lowest result has been found in community participation. Furthermore, a high degree of social and economic development within the municipality, principally due to Cancun tourism, contrasts with a very low score for environmental sustainability. The paper seeks to achieve the understanding of an approach that claims for nothing new, but rather integrates the existing planning instruments and is based on inclusive and equitable decision-making processes.