Case Studies UNDP: FISH PRODUCTION COOPERATION SOCIETIES OF COZUMEL AND VIGIA CHICO, Mexico

7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: FISH PRODUCTION COOPERATION SOCIETIES OF COZUMEL AND VIGIA CHICO, Mexico

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Equator Initiative Case StudiesLocal sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities

Mexico

FISH PRODUCTIONCOOPERATIVE SOCIETIES OFCOZUMEL AND VIGIA CHICO

Empowered live

Resilient nation

Empowered live

Resilient nation



UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES

Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that wo

or people and or nature. Few publications or case studies tell the ull story o how such initiatives evolve, the breadth

their impacts, or how they change over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practition

themselves guiding the narrative.

To mark its 10-year anniversary, the Equator Initiative aims to ll this gap. The ollowing case study is one in a growing ser

that details the work o Equator Prize winners – vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmenconservation and sustainable livelihoods. These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local succ

to scale, to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions, and to serve as models

replication. Case studies are best viewed and understood with reerence to ‘The Power o Local Action: Lessons rom 10 Years

the Equator Initiative’ , a compendium o lessons learned and policy guidance that draws rom the case material.

Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiative’s searchable case study database.

EditorsEditor-in-Chie: Joseph Corcoran

Managing Editor: Oliver HughesContributing Editors: Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Erin Lewis, Whitney Wilding

Contributing WritersEdayatu Abieodun Lamptey, Erin Atwell, Toni Blackman, Jonathan Clay, Joseph Corcoran, Larissa Currado, Sarah Gordon, Oliver Hughe

Wen-Juan Jiang, Sonal Kanabar, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Rachael Lader, Patrick Lee, Erin Lewis, Jona Liebl, Mengning Ma,

Mary McGraw, Gabriele Orlandi, Brandon Payne, Juliana Quaresma, Peter Schecter, Martin Sommerschuh, Whitney Wilding, Luna Wu

DesignOliver Hughes, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Amy Korngiebel, Kimberly Koserowski, Erin Lewis, John Mulqueen, Lorena de la Pa

Brandon Payne, Mariajosé Satizábal G.

AcknowledgementsThe Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude the Fish Production Cooperative Societies o Cozumel and Vigia Chico, and

particular the guidance and inputs o Lizabeth Tamayo. All photo credits courtesy o Fish Production Cooperative Societies o Cozum

and Vigia Chico. Maps courtesy o CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia.

Suggested CitationUnited Nations Development Programme. 2012. Fish Production Cooperative Societies o Cozumel and Vigia Chico. Equator Initiative C

Study Series. New York, NY.

http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/Power_of_Local_Action_Final_2013.pdf


http://equatorinitiative.org/index.php?option=com_winners&view=casestudysearch&Itemid=858





PROJECT SUMMARY

The Fish Production Cooperative Societies o Cozumel andVigía Chico works to advance a model o sustainable shingor local communities. Located on the tropical island o Cozumel, an international tourist destination, and in theSian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, a national park and UNESCOWorld Heritage Site, the cooperatives have a long history o collaboration dating to the 1960s.

Today, the two cooperative societies coordinate theirshing activities o the coast o the island o Cozumel, witha particular ocus on lobster and scaled sh such as grouper,cod, and snapper. Together, the cooperatives supporttheir 128 members to acquire shing permits, collectivelymanage marine resources, and engage in group decision-making, using grants rom the UNDP/GEF Small GrantsProgramme to improve market supply chains and increasethe abundance and diversity o endemic marine species.

KEY FACTS

EQUATOR PRIZE WINNER: 2006

FOUNDED: 1960

LOCATION: Cozumel, Mexico

BENEFICIARIES: Cooperative members and their familie

BIODIVERSITY: Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve

3

THE FISH PRODUCTION COOPERATIVESOCIETIES OF COZUMEL AND VIGIA CHICOMexico

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background and Context 4

Key Activities and Innovations 5

Biodiversity Impacts 7

Socioeconomic Impacts 8

Sustainability 9

Replication 10

Partners 10



4

he Fish Production Cooperative Societies o Cozumel and VigíaChico are two cooperatives working in the Mexican State o

Qintana Roo to advance a model o sustainable shing. The rst

ooperative is located on the tropical island o Cozumel, known best

nternationally as a tourist destination or snorkeling and scuba-

iving. The second is located in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve,

national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Yucatan

eninsula. Both cooperatives ocus on the sustainable harvesting o

marine resources, with an emphasis on the Caribbean spiny lobsterPanulirus argus).

Evolution o two fshing cooperatives

he two cooperative societies have a long, rich history o overlapnd collaboration. The cooperative in Cozumel was ounded in 1960

t the initiative o a private contractor who was selling sh products

nd set out to organize shers to improve coordination o harvesting

ctivities and to increase production. The mobilized shermen

reated a village called Maria Elena and concentrated their extractive

ctivities on the Bay o the Holy Spirit. In 1968, a sub-group o the

ooperative society decided to secede and start a new cooperative.

hese shermen created the village now called Javier Rojo Gómez,

ut geographically known as Punta Allen and shed in the Ascension

ay, located directly adjacent to the Bay o the Holy Spirit. This group

would become the cooperative society o Vigía Chico.

Coordinated lobster management

n 2001 and 2005, respectively, the Vigía Chico and Cozumel

ooperative societies received independent grants rom the UNDP

mplemented GEF-Small Grants Programme (SGP) to expand upon

nd improve their lobster shing practices within the Sian Ka’an

iosphere Reserve. The cooperatives constructed articial lobster

helters, a map o lobster elds, and a database documenting catch

ize and abundance, all as tools to ensure the long-term viability o

obster shing in their respective regions. The grants also created

wo revolving unds, where individual shermen could access

resources to invest in their respective lobster elds. In 2005cooperative society in Cozumel also received a grant rom SGP

USD 30,000) to implement similar marine resource managem

tools: lobster shelters, elds and a comprehensive database. As

resource management practices and interventions came into c

alignment, the two cooperative societies decided to more orm

link their work and collaborate in order to harmonize managem

plans, address common challenges, and chart a common visio

marine resource management in the region.

Today, the two cooperative societies coordinate their s

activities o the coast o the island o Cozumel, with a parti

ocus on lobster and scaled sh such as grouper, cod, and snap

The Cozumel cooperative has 48 members, while the Vigía Ccooperative has 80 members. Together, the cooperatives sup

local shermen to acquire shing permits, collectively ma

marine resources and engage in group decision-making. The ge

operating objectives are to develop sustainable shing prac

in the state o Quintana Roo, improve market supply chains

manner that benets local shermen, strengthen the shing se

by bringing local shermen together, increase the abundance

diversity o endemic marine species, and raise awareness o int

and external shing regulations. Each cooperative is governed b

executive board, which includes a president, secretary, treasure

supervisor.

Background and Context



55

Key Activities and Innovations

he two cooperatives aim to sustainably manage marine resources in

he region, with an emphasis on conservation o the Caribbean spiny

obster (Panulirus argus). This has been achieved through the creation

nd enorcement o a closed season, a our-month period between

March and June, and the designation o recovery zones where

shermen are prohibited rom catching lobster. Both actions have

iven lobster populations the opportunity to reproduce, regenerate

nd thrive, with positive results or both marine biodiversity and

ocal livelihoods. Both cooperatives also organize sh markets, where

ocal shermen can (and are, in act, required) to sell their products.

his shared market platorm helps the cooperatives stabilize prices

nd minimize the illegal sale o lobsters.

Cooperative activities employ artisanal shing techniques; labour

ntensive methods that use simple technology and have low

operating costs. Participating cooperative members use the lazo, an

luminum or wood rod with a noose that loops around the lobster’s

bdomen; the jamo, a hand net which is attached to an aluminum

oop; and the copo, a combination trawl and cone net device. These

ools have been promoted as alternatives to hook shing in an eort

o encourage live lobster catches.

obster ‘shadows’

oth cooperative societies have created articial shelters called

obster ‘shadows’. These shelters enable shermen to capturehe lobsters live, as opposed to the hook system which was used

previously and which killed the lobsters in the process o the catch.

Capturing the lobsters live permits shermen to choose which will

be removed or sale and which will be released back into the ocean

ntil they have reached maturity and/or had a chance to reproduce.

he shelters have the additional benet o protecting the lobster

population rom some o their predators. Harvesting rom these

helters requires teams o two: one to lit the shelter, and another to

emove the lobsters with a buttery net. Size limits are regulated to

nsure only mature adult lobsters are removed and that egg-bearing

emales are released. Transgression o community rules carries s

nes o USD 100 per lobster. More than 90% o current lobster c

comes rom the ‘shadows’.

Lobster felds and resource mapping

Marine resources are managed through a number o commu

based regulatory systems that control and administer access and

notably including ‘lobster elds’. This designation assigns indiv

or small groups o shermen a territory which is their exclu

domain and in which they have both exclusive rights to sh

place lobster shadows) as well as responsibilities to monitor the



66

or transgressors and incursion. Unauthorized shermen caught in a

obster eld other than their own have their equipment conscated,

re stripped o their community shing rights, and are expelled rom

he cooperative. Lobster elds are demarcated by buoys; a visual

ystem that is urther complemented by GPS mapping. Coordinates

re taken and processed in a remote sensing laboratory at the Center

Investigation and Advanced Studies, Mérida Unit (CINVESTAV,

Unidad Mérida). This inormation is then used to map lobster elds

nd the positioning o ‘shadows’ within each.

his mapping exercise has been valuable not only in coordinating

he activities o participating cooperative members, but also in

monitoring changes in marine resources. Inormation collected

hrough community mapping is inputted into a central database,

which helps to harmonize shing practices in the Bay o the Holy

pirit and Ascension Bay. Collected inormation includes shermen’s

ame, number o the lobster eld where the catch took place, the

umber o ‘shadows’ checked beore a catch was made, the number

shermen involved in the catch, and the time and date the catch

was made. This inormation has provided the cooperatives with

ata to perorm analysis, which in turn allows them to improve their

fciency, productivity and accountability to one another.

ionfsh

ach cooperative is also engaged in the capture and sale o lionsh

Pterois), a venomous sh characterized by red, white and black

ands and spiky ns. The cooperatives have been active in promoting

he lionsh as an edible species that can be sold in local markets

nd which can provide local shermen with a viable economic

lternative and a supplementary source o income. The lionsh is

lso an invasive alien species, so increasing the demand or the sh

y making it a viable commodity is also helping to promote marine

iodiversity conservation. Lionsh are known to overpopulate rees,isplay aggressive tendencies towards other sh, and to consume

ther aquatic species (including lobster and crab), throwing o the

alance o ree ecosystems. It also has no predators to naturally

ontrol the population.

Rotating und

oth cooperative shing societies operate a rotating und, or what

hey call a community trust und. The und is endowed by individual

ooperative members, who pay into it as part o membership dues.

t also provides a unding target or external donors. The respective

unds were launched with unds provided by the UNDP implemented

GEF-Small Grants Programme. The unds allow individual sher

to purchase upgraded equipment and technology (or exam

concrete lobster shelters) and also provide a social service unc

giving shermen a nancial buer in times o nancial difc

resource scarcity, and natural disasters. (The latter has b

important, as the region is requently hit by hurricanes.)

Capacity building and trainings

Members o each cooperative society have access to cap

building and training on marine resource management, na

planning and running a protable shery. Workshops emphasiz

biological and economic importance o respecting closed sea

and sanctuaries, and educate community members on the lega

lobsters must be when they are caught. Outreach, environme

education and training are also provided to local youth on

unctioning and governance o the cooperative and the princ

o responsible environmental stewardship. This ocus on y

serves two unctions: rst, to instil a conservation ethic in u

generations, thereby ensuring the long-term sustainability o ma

resources; and second, to train new members and young leade

management positions, thereby ensuring institutional sustaina

or the cooperatives. The cooperatives are in the process o crea

an ‘education department’ that will enable members to share t

experiences peer-to-peer with shermen rom other region

Caribbean.

“Decisions on natural resource management must ensure careful consideration for the natur

replenishing capacity of ecosystems and individual species. If resource extraction is necessary,

must be carried out in a sustainable way.”

Lizabeth Tamayo, Fish Production Cooperative Societies of Cozumel and Vigia Chico



7

Impacts

BIODIVERSITY IMPACTS

The work o the two cooperative societies has had positive impacts

on marine biodiversity in the region. In an area that was previously

plagued by destructive shing practices, unsustainable harvesting

echniques, overshing, and a tendency to capture immature sh

beore they had an opportunity to reproduce, the cooperatives have

ntroduced a marine resource management system that is more

espectul o natural regeneration needs and ecosystem integrity.

The results have been positive both or lobster populations and

he wide variety o scaled sh that inhabit the waters o the Bay

o the Holy Spirit and Ascension Bay. By preventing overshing

nd allowing marine species to reach adulthood, the cooperativeshave acilitated natural reproductive patterns, which have in turn

ncreased species abundance.

One o the most eective systems or biodiversity conservation

nd rejuvenation has been the implementation o closed seasons,

where rom March to June shermen are prohibited rom shing

or lobsters, but are still able to harvest grouper, prawns and

other scaled sh. Comparative analyses over the past three closed

easons show that, when shermen respect the seasonal no-take

ones, overall production has increased. In 2011, or example,

production and catch size doubled that o the previous season. Both

ooperatives have also used this model to restore conch ( Strombus

gigas) populations, another species in need o protective meas

Closed seasons are complemented by sh and lobster sanctu

in areas identied as high-risk o overexploitation or in nee

replenishment. These sanctuaries provide a sae haven, allo

sh, lobster and conch species to ully develop and repopulat

area. The use o articial shelters (or ‘shadows’) in the place o

shing has also enabled local shermen to capture live lob

allowing them more discretion in only harvesting adult lobsters

are o legal size.

The cooperatives have also introduced the use o concrete ra

than palm as construction material or lobster shelters. This has

a positive impact on local biodiversity, in particular or the local known as chit (Trinax radiata). Previously, lobster shelters were m

with chit stems, leading to extensive overharvesting o the palm

its subsequent classication as an endangered species. When

Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve was created in 1986, the use o

was banned. Lobster shermen were orced to nd new mater

build the shelters. Finding a viable alternative was a trial and

process, eventually leading to the development o a succe

shelter prototype made o concrete. The Vigía Chico cooper

was the rst to pioneer this model, a best practice that was qu

transerred to the cooperative in Cozumel. This switch to con

has greatly reduced local use o the endangered palm species.

“It is important to carry out a full assessment of a resource before undertaking a conservatio

project. You must understand the relationship between species in an ecosystem before attemptin

any interventions.”




SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS

Local livelihoods and incomes have improved or local shermen due

o a combination o cooperative interventions, notably including

he harmonization o shing regulations, collective marketing

activities, and the adoption o locally appropriate technology. Prior

o ormation o the cooperatives, no clear rules were in place to

egulate marine resource access and use. Fishing was conducted in

a ree-or-all manner, oten leading to overharvesting, inefcienciesand resource conicts. There was competition between lobster

shermen or the most productive ‘shadows’, but no method in place

or subdividing shing areas in an equitable manner. This led to

conict and disharmony in the shermen community. Through the

creation o designated lobster elds, shermen now have exclusive

ights to sh in specied areas, which in turn has increased efciency

and reduced conicts.

Prior to creation o the cooperatives, there was a similar organizational

vacuum or the sale and marketing o marine products. Under the

current cooperative society model, all members (without exception)

are obligated to deliver their catch to the cooperative collection

center or measurement and merchandizing. This arrangement hasensured uniormity in lobster and other marine resource prices,

beneting both sellers and consumers by providing more certainty.

t has also helped eliminate the practice o illegal lobster sales. Most

ecently, the two cooperatives partnered with our other shing

ocieties in the southern part o Sian Ka’an to orm Integradora de

Pescadores de Quintana Roo, a collective platorm or marketing

ustainably harvested lobster to retailers in the hospitality industry.

This has enabled local shermen to circumvent middlemen who

previously charged a high premium or their services.

The cooperatives have provided local shermen with economic

tability, increasing incomes, acilitating access to a community trust

und, and improving nancial and natural resource management

capacities. Members earn a monthly income o approximately USD

300 rom selling their lobster catch to the cooperative. They also

earn additional income rom selling other sh over the course o

he year, notably during the our-month lobster closed season. The

use o lobster shelters has contributed to increases in local incomes,

as expressed by increases in metric tons o production. In 2008-

2009, the cooperative produced 395.25 lobster tails and 7124.60

ive lobsters. In 2009-2010, 4552.82 lobster tails and 10137.86 live

obsters were produced. In 2010-2011, 8494.18 lobster tails and

25891.21 live lobsters were produced. The community trust und

has been an additional source o nancial security. Cooperative

members can access the und during lean periods or pronouncedperiods o economic need. This has been a particularly valuable

ecurity blanket in recovery periods ollowing natural disasters.

The decision to access the unds is taken democratically, at which

point the resources are distributed equally among all members. In

more steady economic periods, shermen can borrow rom the und

at low interest rates to upgrade shing equipment such as boats,

motors and nets.

The cooperatives have also succeeded in diversiying local and

economic activities. Ecotourism, or example, has become a

signicant source o employment and income, particularly du

the o-season. Four tourism cooperatives have ormed our o

shing cooperatives, which oer visitors sport shing, snorke

bird watching, and dolphin-sighting tours.

8



9

Sustainability and Replication

SUSTAINABILITYhe two cooperatives have showed a great deal o economic,

olitical and environmental resilience since their ounding in 1960s.

heir longevity can be attributed to their collective ability to react

nd respond to system shocks. The most literal maniestation o this

esilience has been in the ace o natural disasters, most recently in

he wake o Hurricane Wilma, which devastated coral rees in the

egion in 2005. The cooperatives were indispensible in this period,

roviding local shermen with a social and nancial saety net,

llowing them to replace destroyed boats, lobster shelters and other

ocal inrastructure. The community trust und was created with a

rant rom the UNDP implemented GEF-Small Grants Programme.ince then, members pay into the und regularly and are allowed to

ip into the und in times o nancial hardship. Following the natural

isaster in 2005, the community trust und helped local shermen

o rebuild 2,130 lobster shelters, unctionally re-establishing the

obster shing industry and saving it rom the brink o collapse.

he cooperatives have also worked to improve their nancial

management capacity with a view to ensuring long-term

ustainability. In 1988, the Vigía Chico cooperative lost a major asset

when the bank seized its seaood processing plant, causing a severe

risis. That same year, Hurricane Gilbert hit the north o Quintana Roo,

estroying countless lobster shadows and causing outmigration to

rban centers. The cooperatives were unable to pay their debts, andconomic recovery was slow or several years. This process gave the

ooperative a heightened appreciation or the value and necessity

good nancial administration and governance. The cooperatives

ow source out management o their incomes and expenses to a

rivate accounting rm to ensure the sound and eective handling

its nancial aairs.

he consolidation o lobster marketing through Integradora de

escadores de Quinana Roo has provided an additional mechanism

or ensuring the long-term sustainability o the initiative. The



“Our communities have experienced climate change in the form of strong winds, highe

temperatures and extreme weather shifts. We are also taking steps to adapt, including wate

conservation, recycling and energy management. We are committed to avoiding being part o

unnecessary consumption.”


1010

ooperatives now have a direct market supply-chain link to the

cotourism and hospitality industries, providing a predictable and

onsistent demand or lobster products.

REPLICATION

Other shing cooperatives in the state o Quintana Roo have been

modeled ater the two cooperatives, including José María Azcorra

nd the Tulum Cooperative. Since these two cooperative were

stablished, there has been ongoing knowledge exchange, and peer-

o-peer site visits. This has allowed or the transer o best practice and

essons learned across communties, which ultimately has benets orocal economies and biodiversity. The cooperative model advanced

n Cozumel and Vigía Chico has also been promoted throughout the

aribbean. Conerences, seminars, workshops, and eld visits have

rovided opportunities or the cooperatives to exchange ideas,

essons, methodologies and experiences with shing communities

rom Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, Cuba, the Dominican

epublic, Panama, and the United States. As one example, in 2008, a

roup rom the Dominican Republic (called Ree Check) visited the

ooperatives or a six-day learning mission on closed seasons and

cotourism activities. The cooperatives conducted demonstration

ctivities on the constructio o lobster shelters and held a y shing

workshop, among other trainings on coral ree monitorin and

cological assessments o ree health. These exchanges motivated

creation o a commission or knowledge exchange and a partne

or the regional management o sheries in the Mesoamerican

System.

PARTNERS

The cooperatives have omented partnerships with several rese

centers in the region, which assist primarily in monitoring

evaluation and ecological assessments. Notable research part

include the Fisheries Department o the Southern Frontier Sc

College, which studies perormance o the lobster shery; the Ce

o Investigation and Advanced Studies, Mérida Unit (CINVESUnidad Mérida ), which coordinates ecological assessments o o

oor habitats and their relation to the spiny lobster sheries;

Ascension Bay, Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. The cooperatives

also orged partnerships with various levels o government. Fed

state, and municipal governments have provided capacity build

technical and resource support, including the purchase o eng

boats, and rerigerators. The UNDP implemented GEF-Small Gr

Programme has been instrumental in providing catalytic

or community level work. Further partnerships have been o

with the United Nations Foundation, the GEF-SGP Commu

Management o Protected Areas or Conservation (COMP

initiative, and Conservation International.



Click the thumbnails below to read more case studies like this:

FURTHER REFERENCE

Sociedad Cooperativa de Producción Pesquera Cozumel Video (Spanish) (Vimeo) vimeo.com/24535945

Sosa-Cordero, S, M.L.A. Liceaga-Correa, and J.C. Seijo. The Punta Allen lobster shery: current status and recent trends. http://biblio

cinvestav.mx/indicadores/texto_completo/cinvestav/2008/158067_1.pd

quator Initiative

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onnecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better lie.

The Equator Initiative brings together the United Nations, governments, civil society, businesses and grassroots organizatio

o recognize and advance local sustainable development solutions or people, nature and resilient communities.

©2012 by Equator Initiative

All rights reserved

http://vimeo.com/24535945

ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a1497e/a1497e14.pdf

http://biblioteca.cinvestav.mx/indicadores/texto_completo/cinvestav/2008/158067_1.pdf




ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a1497e/a1497e14.pdf

http://vimeo.com/24535945

http://www.equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/com_winners/casestudy/case_1348067785.pdf



Case Studies UNDP: FISH PRODUCTION COOPERATION SOCIETIES OF COZUMEL AND VIGIA CHICO, Mexico

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