Beyond “Success”: Community, Governance, and the Future of Cabo Pulmo National Park

Abstract

This paper uses Cabo Pulmo National Park (CPNP) as a case study to examine the successes and challenges of Marine Protected Area (MPA) design, conception, and long-term governance. Drawing from literature in environmental anthropology, political ecology, and conservation, the author argues for a renewed examination of the ‘success’ of CPNP that pays greater attention to the relationship between socio-political factors (e.g. access, ownership, participation, and rights) and protected area governance. Ultimately, the paper calls for a reconsideration of Marine Protected Area design and implementation that explicitly acknowledges the politics of conservation and protected area management, and seeks to explicitly create and support more effective platforms for participation and conflict resolution.