Abstract

CANALES-SPRINGETT, Ayling Wetzell  and  CHAVEZ SALAS, Jorge Mario. Design of a Multicriteria Analysis to estimate the Ecotourism Potential of the Cotahuasi Sub-Basin Landscape Reserve, Arequipa, Peru. Ecol. apl. [online]. 2023, vol.22, n.2, pp.167-193.  Epub Dec 29, 2023. ISSN 1726-2216.  http://dx.doi.org/10.21704/rea.v22i2.2092.

Ecotourism is an activity that contributes in various ways to sustainable development and biodiversity conservation in areas with ecotourism potential, especially in rural and wild areas, so developing methodologies to estimate the ecotourism potential of a space should consign these principles, thus contributing to the proper planning and management of these areas. This research aimed to design a factor analysis methodology with a multi-criteria approach to conservation and sustainable development, tourism hierarchy, environmental education, participatory monitoring and social-ecological systems, described and developed by international level researchers, academic entities, institutes of development and governmental and non-governmental organizations. Thirteen evaluation criteria were defined, of which seven have an environmental, biological and sociocultural approach and the other six, a planning, services and market approach. At the same time, five levels of hierarchy and scores were established, from a low level of ecotourism potential to a very high or exceptional level, aimed at estimating ecotourism potential. This methodology was applied to the Cotahuasi Sub-Basin Landscape Reserve, in the department of Arequipa, Peru, which allowed a detailed and comprehensive evaluation of the ecotourism potential of this protected natural area, obtaining as a result a potential for the development of ecotourism at a Good level, also showing what conditions need to be improved.

Keywords : ecotourism; ecotourism potential; multicriterio analysis; Cotahuasi.

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