Marine protected areas have been established as essential components for managing and protecting coral reefs to mitigate natural and anthropogenic stressors. One noteworthy example within the Mexican Caribbean is the Arrecife de Puerto Morelos National Park (APMNP), where several studies on the coral communities have been carried out since 2006. In June 2019, we conducted a study in eight sites of the APMNP applying a coral reef assessment method based on biological indicators of both the benthos and the fish communities. In this paper, we present the quantitative results of our study and provide a qualitative criterion assessing seven condition indexes through a scoring system. We also present a statistical comparison with a previous study carried out in 2016. The general status of coral reefs was classified as regular due to the low values of coral recruitment rate and biomass of key commercial fish species. However, living coral cover average was above 20%, with a slight dominance of framework building coral species and the presence of low values of fleshy algae cover, these being positive indicators. Our study found a higher proportion of reef promoter elements and a lower proportion of detractors, compared to a previous study carried out in 2016.

In the Mexican Caribbean, 15 marine protected areas (MPAs) have been established for managing and protecting marine ecosystems. These MPAs receive high anthropogenic pressure from coastal development, tourism, and fishing, all in synergy with climate change. To contribute to the MPAs’ effectiveness, it is necessary to provide a long-term observation system of the condition of marine ecosystems and species. Our study proposes the establishment of a new marine biodiversity monitoring program (MBMP) focusing on three MPAs of the Mexican Caribbean. Five conservation objects (COs) were defined (coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves, marine turtles, and sharks-rays) for their ecological relevance and the pressures they are facing. Coral reef, seagrass and mangroves have multiple biological, biogeochemical and physical interactions. Marine turtles are listed as endangered species, and the status of their populations is unknown in the marine area of the MPAs. Elasmobranchs play a key role as top and medium predators, and their populations have been poorly studied. Indicators were proposed for monitoring each CO. As a technological innovation, all information obtained from the MBMP will be uploaded to the Coastal Marine Information and Analysis System (SIMAR), a public, user-friendly and interactive web platform that allows for automatic data management and processing.

Mexico has committed to protecting 30% of its marine territory by 2030 to comply with Target 3 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted during the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility of meeting this commitment by determining the marine extent of conservation measures based on legally established Marine Protected Areas and areas that meet the criteria to be considered as Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) and determining the marine extent of areas proposed in various conservation planning exercises that can be created as any of the area-based instruments that exist in Mexico. The total coverage of existing and proposed areas was calculated by merging the dataset to remove duplicates and dissolving the boundaries between polygons to determine the total area. Spatial analysis was carried out in ArcGIS using geoprocessing tools. Currently, more than 25% of Mexico’s marine area is legally protected or conserved, with federal marine protected areas covering more than 22% of the Exclusive Economic Zone. The legally established areas that can be considered OECMs cover about 3% of the marine territory. We found that more than 9% of Mexico’s Economic Exclusive Zone contains areas of high conservation importance that are not covered by any area-based instrument. This study shows that Mexico has the potential to protect or conserve 32.8% of its marine territory by 2030.

Noticeable within the Mexican Caribbean is the Arrecife de Puerto Morelos National Park (APMNP), a marine protected area established as an essential component for managing and protecting coral reefs. In June 2019, we conducted a survey in eight shallow reef sites of the APMNP with the purpose of applying a coral reef assessment method, based on biological indicators of the condition of both benthos and fish communities. In this paper we present tables with data of biological and ecological variables such as: benthos coverage, species composition and abundance of corals, abundance of urchins and coral recruits, bleaching, coral diseases and coral mortality percent, reef relief, and composition and abundance of key commercial and herbivorous fish species. The research article related to these databases was published in the journal Diversity with the title: Puerto Morelos coral reefs, current state and their classification by a scoring system.

The ocean is a priority for governments and international organizations. Large-scale, in situ ocean water quality monitoring programs are not very feasible due to the high costs associated with their implementation and operation. In this work, we present a tool for assessing ocean conditions, the SIMAR Integrated Marine Water Quality Index (ICAM-SIMAR-Integral), composed of two satellite parameters and three numerical models. We evaluated its spatiotemporal variability at 10 sites in the Gulf of Mexico, which have dissimilar environmental conditions. We validated its use by comparing it with the TRIX trophic index at 41 sites. To construct the index, the five parameters were standardized using a logarithmic equation and then summed, weighted according to their relationship with eutrophication. An index with a scale of 1 to 100 was obtained, divided into five classification intervals: oligotrophic, mesotrophic, eutrophic, supertrophic, and hypertrophic. The median values of the index and its parameters exhibited significant spatial and temporal variability, consistent with the literature’s criteria regarding their values and eutrophication thresholds. Comparison with TRIX showed no significant differences, validating the implementation of ICAM-SIMAR-Integral as an easily interpreted early warning system for managers and decision-makers in conservation matters. This index will allow for continuous, large-scale monitoring of the ocean, thereby contributing synoptically to its sustainable use.