CFAN3522

This Global Campus Partner seminar addresses coastal and marine ecology as affected by tourism and development and how these affect local communities. We will explore these issues in Akumal (Mayan: place of the turtle), Mexico on the Riviera Maya. Tourism and associated development have expanded exponentially in the past decade with subsequent effects on waste management and water quality in the local cenotes, groundwater, lagoons and reefs. In addition to the water quality effects, increased use by tourist is also directly affecting sea grass, turtles and coral reefs. We will explore the ecology of these systems, methods to assess their status and impacts, and strategies to reduce or mitigate the effects in a sustainable manner that involves local populations.

Prereq: CFAN 3422

011209