Groundwater pollution is one of the main challenges in our society, especially in semi-arid Mediterranean regions. This issue becomes especially critical in predominantly agricultural areas that lack comprehensive knowledge about the characteristics and functioning of their aquifer system. Vulnerability to groundwater pollution is defined as the sensitivity of the aquifer to being adversely affected by an imposed pollution load. For the Guadalupe aquifer, various indicators including water level depth, level variation, aquifer properties, soil composition, topography, impact on the vadose zone, and hydraulic conductivity were evaluated to establish spatial vulnerability categories ranging from very low to very high. Two pollution vulnerability scenarios (wet and dry) were studied. The results were compared with the analysis of nitrate concentration and distribution (2001, 2020, and 2021) from samples collected in the field. In the Calafia area, which predominantly relies on viticulture, the primary recharge inputs were identified in areas with a high vulnerability to pollution. Surprisingly, these vulnerable areas exhibited lower nitrate concentrations. This scenario underscores the need for effective management measures to safeguard aquifers in agricultural regions.

In the southern Gulf of Mexico, the oil and fishing industries coexist in a complex, historically unbalanced relationship that remains insufficiently documented. Constructing spatially explicit knowledge about these interactions is essential to inform decision-making, reduce conflicts among regional stakeholders and in the end, benefit the parties through marine territorial planning that enables stronger governance elements for a socioenvironmental responsible coexistence in the seascape. This study assessed the spatial overlap between the space used by industrial and small-scale fishing fleets and oil industry-related operations—including vessel traffic, marine infrastructure, and oil spills—through quantitative vulnerability and risk analyses. We integrated multi-source spatial data to evaluate both individual and cumulative vulnerabilities, as well as the risk of interactions between fishing fleets’ space use and surface oil presence. Results highlighted two high-vulnerable and high-risk zones: (1) the eastern coast of Tabasco and western coast of Campeche, where small-scale fishing fleets face constant exposure to large vessels, oil platforms, and pipelines; and (2) industrial fishing fleets at the north of Ciudad del Carmen, which showed a higher probability of encountering surface oil. These findings represent a significant contribution to the understanding of risk in maritime spaces where small-scale fisheries and a recently declared marine protected area coexist with the oil industry. Our framework offers a foundation for integrated territorial management that seeks to reduce conflicts between oil extraction and fishing activities, while supporting broader conservation goals in one of Mexico’s most ecologically and economically important marine regions.