Barriers to Sustainable Coastal Development in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico

Puerto Peñasco, once a small Sonoran fishing village located 65 kilometers from the US border crossing, has over the last 10 years become one of the fastest growing cities in Mexico. Tourism has been the force for this dramatic change and with the boom of resort developments and economic opportunities came unintended environmental and social costs. Using current federal management plans, secondary literature and on-site surveys, this report describes the current environmental, economic and social conditions that define Peñasco today and identifies specific barriers that are blocking successful sustainable management initiatives at the national, regional and local levels.