Indicador de huella ecológica turística en el páramo Pan de Azúcar en el municipio de Duitama (Boyacá, Colombia)

Abstract

The present investigation has as its main objective, the development of an indicator of environmental sustainability to estimate the ecological footprint caused by the development of tourist activities, in the Páramo Guantiva - Russia, Pan de Azúcar sector in the municipality of Duitama (Boyacá, Colombia). ”. Based on developing an evaluation tool that allows understanding the positive and negative impacts that fall on a tourist site and knowing what type of sustainability is contributed with the development of these activities in moorland areas, according to the assessment proposed by (Gallopín, 2003 ), of the types of sustainability, "strong, weak and very weak sustainability", the HET evaluation ranges are established, to propose protection and development strategies, which establish what are the permissible interventions, to what extent and how much it is possible to leave that alternative tourism or ecotourism occurs in these ecosystems, taking into account that the páramo ecosystems, due to their protection status, do not have many opportunities for economic development for the population of these areas. For which, the following three goals are proposed; identify and prioritize methodologies for estimating the ecological footprint in tourism activities in high mountain ecosystems worldwide, through a systematic literature review. Subsequently, the formulation of an indicator to estimate the ecological footprint of tourist activities in páramo ecosystems. Finally, the application of the indicator to the specific case study. Finding that this type of tourist projects make the area visible, strengthen the recognition of the territory and give opportunity for economic development to small municipalities, however, the development of these economic activities, in the Pan de azúcar páramo contributes to the very weak type of sustainable development. , since the substitution of the natural capital of the area is promoted and is not compensated by the generation of social welfare and economic development of the area. Causing irreversible damage to the ecosystem and compromising the availability of natural capital to future generations, mainly affecting the strategic function of the páramo ecosystem as a water regulator.