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Volume 14
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Article

Charapa Turtles (Podocnemis unifilis), an Opportunity to Improve Community Tourism and Contribute to Their Conservation in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador

by
Carlos Mestanza-Ramón
1,*,
Rita Lara-Váscones
2,
Demmy Mora-Silva
3,
Celene B. Milanes
4,
Angélica Saeteros-Hernández
5,
Maritza Sánchez-Capa
6 and
Angel Cunalata-Garcia
6
1
Departamento Economía Financiera y Dirección de Operaciones, Universidad de Sevilla, 41018 Sevilla, Spain
2
Sede Orellana, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, El Coca 220001, Ecuador
3
Green Amazon, Research Center, Nueva Loja EC210150, Ecuador
4
GeMarc and GESSA Research Groups, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla 080001, Colombia
5
Facultad de Salud Pública, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Riobamba 060104, Ecuador
6
Research Group YASUNI-SDC, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Sede Orellana, El Coca 220001, Ecuador
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 7548; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137548
Submission received: 19 April 2022 / Revised: 9 June 2022 / Accepted: 13 June 2022 / Published: 21 June 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism Development and Tourist Behavior)
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Abstract

Biodiversity at the species and ecosystem level is an important basis for tourism, especially for tourism economies in landscapes optimal for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, which are addressed under the Convention on Biological Diversity. In the last two decades, the Podocnemis Unifilis turtle has presented problems represented in a decrease of individuals in their populations in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The objective of the study was to describe the characteristics and current situation of the charapa turtle (Podocnemis Unifilis), to analyze the perception of the community of the Indillama River towards this species and finally to establish a proposal for its conservation with a socio-economic contribution from the community tourism segment. The methodology used consisted of a bibliographic review, semi-structured interviews and expert judgment. The main results indicate that the charapa turtle has had population problems in the last 30 years due to various anthropogenic pressures. The inhabitants of the Río Indillama community perceive this species mainly as a source of economic income (sale of individuals and their eggs) and food by consuming their eggs and adult individuals. Finally, we present a proposal for conservation through tourism that provides experiential activities for the collection of P. unifilis eggs, nesting and release (sponsorship) of individuals, providing economic benefits to local communities. This will contribute to its conservation and local socioeconomic development.
Keywords: conservation; community-based tourism; conservation tourism; community; Indillama River conservation; community-based tourism; conservation tourism; community; Indillama River

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MDPI and ACS Style

Mestanza-Ramón, C.; Lara-Váscones, R.; Mora-Silva, D.; Milanes, C.B.; Saeteros-Hernández, A.; Sánchez-Capa, M.; Cunalata-Garcia, A. Charapa Turtles (Podocnemis unifilis), an Opportunity to Improve Community Tourism and Contribute to Their Conservation in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador. Sustainability 2022, 14, 7548. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137548

AMA Style

Mestanza-Ramón C, Lara-Váscones R, Mora-Silva D, Milanes CB, Saeteros-Hernández A, Sánchez-Capa M, Cunalata-Garcia A. Charapa Turtles (Podocnemis unifilis), an Opportunity to Improve Community Tourism and Contribute to Their Conservation in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador. Sustainability. 2022; 14(13):7548. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137548

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mestanza-Ramón, Carlos, Rita Lara-Váscones, Demmy Mora-Silva, Celene B. Milanes, Angélica Saeteros-Hernández, Maritza Sánchez-Capa, and Angel Cunalata-Garcia. 2022. "Charapa Turtles (Podocnemis unifilis), an Opportunity to Improve Community Tourism and Contribute to Their Conservation in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador" Sustainability 14, no. 13: 7548. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137548

APA Style

Mestanza-Ramón, C., Lara-Váscones, R., Mora-Silva, D., Milanes, C. B., Saeteros-Hernández, A., Sánchez-Capa, M., & Cunalata-Garcia, A. (2022). Charapa Turtles (Podocnemis unifilis), an Opportunity to Improve Community Tourism and Contribute to Their Conservation in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador. Sustainability, 14(13), 7548. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137548

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