Resumo

PEREZ VILLEGAS, Graciela  e  CARRASCAL, Eurosia. Tourism development in Cancún, Quintana Roo and its consequences on vegetation. Invest. Geog [online]. 2000, n.43, pp.145-166. ISSN 2448-7279.

This paper deals with the expansion of tourism complex in Cancún, Mexico, from its creation as a beach resort in the l970's to the present. The quantitative measurement of the urban growth over natural scenarios is the major contribution of this study, particularly with reference to the disturbance of natural vegetation due to the construction of physical infrastructure for both housing and tourist activities. Moreover, it emphasizes the risk of affecting natural ecosystems surrounding Cancún as a consequence of an excessive tourism development.

Palavras-chave : Tourism; ecology; Cancún; Mexico.