Ecological monitoring
(A) Rocky reefs: Since 1998 we have monitored rocky reefs along the Gulf of California by collecting data on fish and invertebrate communities.
(B) Mangrove forests: With innovative and low impact technologies, our team monitors mangrove forests and the ecosystem services they offer.
(C) Megafauna monitoring: tagging helps us learn about habitat use and movement patters of species like mantas, groupers and sharks; oceanographic data helps us learn about their environment.
(D) Gray whales: fishermen use GPS devices to monitor their whale watching activities in Bahía Magdalena, B.C.S.
(E) Oceanographic data: scientists and community partners collect monthly samples of water t0 study zooplankton, water temperature, salinity, etc.
Fisheries monitoring
To understand the relationship of fishing communities with the environment, our fisheries monitoring is carried out collaboratively with fishermen and combines different tools. We generate fishing information combining technologies such as GPS and mobile applications to know the fishing dynamics of different coastal fleets. In addition, we collect data through biological and fishing samples in the communities to learn more about the biology and ecology of the species that are commercially exploited.
(A) Fisheries statistics: official landings statistics curated by the GCMP covering the Gulf of California, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean coastlines.
(B) Collaborative fisheries monitoring: artisanal fishers use GPS trackers to monitor each fishing trip and record catch data associated to each trip.
(C) Biological monitoring: targeted monitoring and sampling efforts aimed at generating species-specific data.
Ecosystem and large-scale assessments
(A) Impacts and effectiveness of marine reserves and MPAs.
(B) Impact of climate change and valuation of ecosystem services.
(C) Ecosystem-wide fisheries assessments.
Communicating Science
(A) dataMares: Created in 2014, promotes transparency and free access to data. It encourages interaction with data and helps science to reach other researchers, natural resource users, and decision makers.
(B) Natural Numbers: Short films that combine video, animations, and photography to illustrate the economic value of Mexico’s natural capital in less than three minutes.
(C) Mares Mexicanos: Communicate success stories in conservation in Mexico through video and photography.