| dc.description.abstract | Hundreds of communities settled in the Amazon basin face economic and social oblivion, discrimination by the rest of society and lack of empowerment of their territory. However, these communities are the guardians of the world's largest primary rainforest, responsible for global climate control. Further, this territory is home to most of the isolated indigenous peoples that still exist in the world. In this context, community tourism appears as a promising alternative for community empowerment that allows improving resilience in remote Amazonian contexts where, due to geographical isolation and climatic conditions, in many cases, other economic activities are near impossible to be carried out.
Therefore, this research addresses the question: To what extent does the economic development of the Kichwa communities of the Curaray River through tourism improve resilience in a complex socio-ecological system? This question is answered through a community-based study combining with key actors with a socio-ecological system approach that addresses the intrinsic relationships between its two subsystems. Qualitative data were collected from the communities involved, and an analysis of the experiences, expectations and positions was performed. The analysis was guided by available literature of tourism, empowerment and resilience. Regarding, peoples in isolation, specifically for this research: Tagaeri and Taromenane, as well as to contextualize the Kichwa people of the Curaray and the characteristics of the environment they inhabit, specialized information by experts was collected and contrasted with the limited literature and historical information of these territories and peoples.
By integrating community tourism with the perspective of resilience and empowerment, besides analysing a case study, this research expands academic information on a topic where the lack of data is prominent but also implies its practical utility. This research serves as the basis for the development of tourism on the Curaray River' banks, where its inhabitants are intended at the implementation of the tourism industry. This study serves as guidelines that facilitate the sustainable development of the communities.
The findings suggest that tourism has the potential to positively impact the resilience of complex socio-ecological systems in remote places, especially in Amazonian contexts, as well as to empower its inhabitants in all realms: psychological, social, political, economic, and territorial. Thereby it provides communities with an alternative to cope with the economic-political juncture throughout the Amazon region. However, this thesis also reveals a careful implementation procedure that must be carried out to avoid generating detrimental long-term impacts. Thus, this research serves as the basis for further exploration of alternatives and studies. | |
