Geosites and Geotourism in the Local Development of Communities of the Andes Mountains. A Case Study

Paúl Carrión-Mero, César Borja-Bernal, Gricelda Herrera-Franco, Fernando Morante-Carballo, María Jaya-Montalvo, Alfonso Maldonado-Zamora, Nataly Paz-Salas and Edgar Berrezueta
Additional contact information
Paúl Carrión-Mero: Centro de Investigación y Proyectos Aplicados a las Ciencias de la Tierra (CIPAT), ESPOL Polytechnic University, Guayaquil 9015863, Ecuador
César Borja-Bernal: Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad de Guayaquil (UG), Guayaquil 9015863, Ecuador
Gricelda Herrera-Franco: Facultad de Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad Estatal Península de Santa Elena (UPSE), La Libertad 240204, Ecuador
Fernando Morante-Carballo: Centro de Investigación y Proyectos Aplicados a las Ciencias de la Tierra (CIPAT), ESPOL Polytechnic University, Guayaquil 9015863, Ecuador
María Jaya-Montalvo: Bira Bienes Raíces S.A. (BIRA S.A.), Zaruma 071350, Ecuador
Alfonso Maldonado-Zamora: Departamento de Ingeniería Geológica y Minera, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Minas y Energía, 28031 Madrid, Spain
Nataly Paz-Salas: Bira Bienes Raíces S.A. (BIRA S.A.), Zaruma 071350, Ecuador
Edgar Berrezueta: Departamento de Infraestructura Geocientífica y Servicios, Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), 33005 Oviedo, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-23

Abstract: The inventory and assessment of a geosite in a territory provides a sound basis for the protection and use of its geological heritage. This article aims to evaluate the most relevant geosites in the province of Chimborazo (Ecuador), applying the Spanish Inventory of Sites of Geological Interest (IELIG, in Spanish) method, and proposing alternatives for geotourism development in the studied area. The methodological process was based on: (i) the inventory and preliminary selection of geosites; (ii) a semi-quantitative geosite assessment and proposal of travel itineraries for geotourism; and (iii) the application of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) matrix to establish geotourism development strategies within a framework of sustainability. The global assessment of scientific, tourist, and academic interests demonstrates that 25% of the 20 evaluated geosites have very high interest and 75% have high interest. The top three geosites with the highest degrees of interest are the Chimborazo Volcano, known as ‘Earth’s Closest Point to the Sun’, the Pallatanga geological fault, and the geosite named Comunidad Cacha. The SWOT analysis reveals that travel itineraries that combine cultural heritage elements and geosites could offer a real alternative for the region’s sustainable development through geotourism.

Keywords: geosites; geoheritage; geoconservation; geotourism; Chimborazo Volcano (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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