Impacts of tourism on two national parks and areas adjacent to Baja California, Mexico: The Case of Sierra de San Pedro Martir and Constitución de 1857

Abstract

Tourism in natural areas is a phenomenon that has intensified in recent decades. The purpose of this paper is to identify the impacts of tourism on the Sierra de San Pedro Martir and Constitución de 1857 National Parks. To this end, direct observation and 18 semi-structured interviews with local officials and residents of the areas of study were conducted. The most striking results were the impacts on the natural environment and the interaction between government employees, local actors and tourists, as well as the differences and similarities between the impacts on the two parks. For both study areas, special attention should be paid to the ecological impact, since state development programs encourage increasing the number of park visitors without considering the damage this could cause their ecosystems. Since there are very few studies in the country covering the social and economic aspects of tourism in natural areas, more work should be conducted on these fields.