ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the meaning and object of the management of Mexican beaches through instruments at the local, national, and international levels aiming to comply with the Blue Flag scheme. This work arose from the analysis of the transition zone between the mainland and the ocean, known as “Paradise”. This is an environmental asset and a system where economic, social, environmental, political, and institutional elements interact and support the uses and activities in the exposed sandy strip and the adjacent marine or immersed zone (swash or surf zone). In this area, visitor flows vary from hundreds in a matter of hours and throughout the day to thousands between seasons. In addition to the ecosystem dynamics, its management becomes an environmental challenge. The complexity of the Blue Flag coastal eco-label is reviewed and discussed through various instruments in terms of the scope, benefits, issues, and pending evolution, to assess its contribution to different coastal systems in Mexico.
