The Sociedades Cooperativas de Producción Pesquera de Cozumel y Vigía Chico (Fish Production Cooperative Societies of Cozumel and Vigia Chico), are two cooperatives working in the Mexican State of Qintana Roo to advance a model of sustainable fishing for local communities. Located on the tropical island of Cozumel, an international tourist destination, and in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, the cooperatives have a long history of collaboration dating to the 1960s.

Today, the two cooperative societies coordinate their fishing activities off the coast of the island of Cozumel, with a particular focus on lobster and scaled fish such as grouper, cod, and snapper. Together, the cooperatives support their 128 members to acquire fishing permits, collectively manage marine resources, and engage in group decision-making, using grants from the UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme to improve market supply chains and increase the abundance and diversity of endemic marine species.

Key Facts 

Equator Prize Winner: 2006

Founded: 1960

Location: Cozumel, Mexico

Beneficiaries: Cooperative members and their families

Biodiversity: Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve

Case Study

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