Ecotourism potential based on the observation of wild mammals in the Centauro del Norte Voluntary Conservation Area in the Calakmul region, Campeche, Mexico
Ecotourism potential based on the observation of wild mammals in the Centauro del Norte Voluntary Conservation Area in the Calakmul region, Campeche, Mexico
Potencial ecoturístico basado en la observación de mamíferos silvestres en el área destinada voluntariamente a la conservación Centauro del Norte en la región de Calakmul, Campeche, México
Fonte: El Periplo Sustentable; Núm. 46 (2024): Número cuarenta y seis; 142 - 161
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Resumo: The Centauro del Norte ejido is located in the southern zone of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (RBC), in Campeche, Mexico, and has a Voluntary Conservation Area (ADVC) with a tropical rainforest ecosystem, characteristic of the region. There are social and economic deficiencies in the ejido that place the entire municipality in a low level of human wellbeing. 74.3% of the inhabitants live in poverty, including 23.5% of those living in extreme poverty. Ecotourism has been identified as a way to obtain sustainable use of natural resources with minimal disturbance to the environment while earning an economic income. In order to contribute to the knowledge and analysis of the ecotourism factors that can influence the success of this activity, a multifactorial analysis was carried out based on the Ecotourism Potential Index (EPI) to determine if there is ecotourism potential in the ADVC. Ten different aspects were evaluated in three areas: Local Perception, Tourism Elements, and Biological Importance. Semi-structured surveys of ejido residents, literature searches and analysis of tourism data were conducted to identify the pros and cons in relation to the success of an ecotourism project. In addition, from October to September 2019, camera trap sampling was conducted to identify mammal species that would contribute to the ecotourism relevance of the site. The PSI generated suggests that there is the potential to carry out an ecotourism project in the ADVC and obtain positive results. The variables 'accessibility to the ADVC', 'diversity of activities' and 'tourist influx to the municipality' are the aspects in which it is necessary to invest efforts if an optimal result is expected from an ecotourism project in the site. The 'ecotourism relevance' aspect stands out as it was shown to be ideal and considerably superior to the control site, located in the core zone of the CBR, exhibits the exceptional natural conditions of the site and can be considered a comparative advantage for an ecotourism proposal.
