The Advisory Councils (CA) of the Natural Protected Areas in Mexico, are constituted as spaces for participation and social inclusion in order to support and advise the management of these natural areas in the implementation of their management programs, as well as to promote their administrative effectiveness. The CAs are made up of local actors who are direct users of the Natural Protected Area and its natural resources as well as representatives of the government, civil society, academia, non-governmental organizations and the business sector. 

In November 2017, the CA of the Area of ​​Protection of Flora and Fauna (APFF) Bala’an K’aax, Quintana Roo, held its second ordinary session of work, with the following objectives: 1. Present the 2017 results regarding the financing granted through different subsidies and training programs taken by APFF staff and community brigades; 2. Share information on the synergies of collaboration with other entities (for example, the launching of the Mayab Tianguis to market honey in the city of Cancun in partnership with the Universidad del Caribe or the technical assistance through the German Cooperation / GIZ); 3. Share the proposal of the Internal Regulation of Operation of the CA.

At the end of the session, the president of the CA, Dr. Francisco Botello, presented the results of a workshop on monitoring of Water pools in the Selva Maya, in which researchers from Belize, Guatemala and Mexico, shared experiences in wildlife monitoring associated with these bodies of water and agreed on proposals.