Jalisco, Mexico’s fourth most biodiverse state, has taken a step toward sustainable tourism by launching the Biodiversity Integration in Tourism Sector Strategy (IBIOTURJAL).
This initiative, a collaborative effort between the Jalisco State Tourism Secretariat (SECTURJAL) and the State Secretariat of Environment and Territorial Development (SEMADET), aims to reduce environmental impacts, promote responsible tourism practices, maintain ecological balance, and enhance local and state-level well-being.
The IBIOTURJAL strategy is built on three key pillars: 1. Creating a New Tourism Ecosystem, 2. Strategic Coordination, and 3. Operational Support. Each pillar consists of three action lines, resulting in a total of 32 specific actions.
Vanessa Pérez Lamas, Secretary of Tourism, underlined the significance of this strategy by stating, “With this strategy, Jalisco leads the nation by becoming the first state in Mexico with a guiding document for policies, initiatives, instruments, and actions that put biodiversity at the center of the tourism sector’s operations.”
The development of the strategy involved active participation through three regional workshops held in Tapalpa, Guadalajara, and Puerto Vallarta. These workshops were instrumental in identifying the primary opportunities for enhancing biodiversity in tourism.
Some specific actions to be taken include training tourism service providers through the Jalisco Tourism Academy, conservation efforts based on regenerative tourism, awareness campaigns for sustainable tourism, communication through the Explora platform, establishing a state trail system, and certifying nature tourism, among others.
The strategy envisions that by 2030, Jalisco will have a tourism ecosystem that fully recognizes the importance of integrating biodiversity into the planning and operation of tourism products and services. This ecosystem will revolve around a more prosperous and equitable economy for Jalisco’s society, ensuring long-term biological, financial, and social sustainability.
Jalisco boasts an impressive biodiversity, with more than half of Mexico’s bird species. The state currently has 50 conservation sites covering a total area of 936,170 hectares. Over 56% of the state’s total land area is comprised of forest ecosystems, including 4.4 million hectares of forests, jungles, and other forested vegetation. Additionally, Jalisco is home to 13 RAMSAR sites, internationally recognized wetlands, with Lake Chapala being the largest in the country.
For more information about Jalisco’s biodiversity and the IBIOTURJAL strategy, click HERE.