The ecosystem framework for planning and management the Atlantic coast of Guatemala

The Amatique Bay is an estuarine ecosystem with great ecological and socioeconomics value due to its diversity of environments, biotic resources and the human activities it supports. However, until the mid-1990’s, the absense of planning and use of ecological criteria in its development have resulted in the environmental deterioration of the ecosystem and its resources. In this constribution the most important ecological aspects of the ecosystem, its economical development, environmental problems, and guidelines for its management are analyzed, putting the ecosystem as focus for planning and management of the Atlantic Coast of Guatemala. The approach enables the analysis of the sectorial levels including tourism, hunting and fishing, agriculture and livestock farming, urbanization, oil-related activities, ports and means of communications, and finally the integration of these activities into the ecosystem and habitats in the region providing management guidelines. In conclusion, it is recommended that the integrated management plan for the Atlantic Coast of Guatemala be grounded in a development strategy based on scientific knowledge, integrating the ecosystem, the economics, and the policy, geared towards the solutions of the priority problem and definition of planning and development policies.