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Open AccessArticle
Examining the Mediating Effect of the Rural Economic Dynamization between the Socio-Environmental Heritage and Sustainability of Protected Areas
by
Yuddy Alejandra Castro Ortegón
Yuddy Alejandra Castro Ortegón 1,*,
Julio César Acosta-Prado
Julio César Acosta-Prado 2
,
Pedro Mauricio Acosta Castellanos
Pedro Mauricio Acosta Castellanos 3
and
Juan Pablo Romero Correa
Juan Pablo Romero Correa 4
1
Environmental Engineering Faculty, Universidad Santo Tomás, Tunja 150003, Colombia
2
Department of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Peru, San Miguel, Lima 15088, Peru
3
Civil Engineering Faculty, Universidad Santo Tomás, Tunja 150001, Colombia
4
Law Faculty, Universidad Santo Tomás, Tunja 150001, Colombia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2024, 16(15), 6525; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156525 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 22 June 2024
/
Revised: 19 July 2024
/
Accepted: 23 July 2024
/
Published: 30 July 2024
Abstract
This study examines the mediating effect of rural economic dynamization between socio-environmental heritage and the sustainability of protected areas in the buffer zone of the Serranía de las Quinchas Regional Natural Park, located in the municipality of Otanche, Boyacá Department, Colombia. The study population includes families that are part of the productive units in this area. The methodological approach of this study is based on partial least squares structural equation modeling. The working unit was established in the regional protected areas of Colombia, specifically in the Serranía de las Quinchas Regional Natural Park. A sample of 172 participants was selected using a non-probabilistic intentional sampling method, covering academics, company representatives, social leaders, local authorities, and representatives of non-governmental organizations. The study variables were measured using a scale with satisfactory psychometric properties, which included 12 items for socio-environmental heritage, 17 items for rural economic dynamization, and 11 items for the sustainability of protected areas. These were structured into subcategories based on the ecosystem services approach (factors that demonstrate social and economic dynamics). Responses were collected using a five-point Likert scale. The sample was analyzed using SmartPLS 3.3.3 software, applying a reflective–reflective hierarchical component model to evaluate the first- and second-order relationships among the variables. The results demonstrate the importance of socio-environmental heritage for local communities as a strategic component that facilitates the rural economic dynamization of protected areas based on sustainability. This research contributes to understanding the relationship between socio-environmental heritage and the sustainability of protected areas, mediated by rural economic dynamization, highlighting the relevance of in situ conservation strategies and prospective planning of these territories to implement sustainability dynamics. It is concluded that rural economic dynamization acts as a significant mediator in the relationship between socio-environmental heritage and the sustainability of protected areas, emphasizing the need to integrate these dynamics into the management of natural resources and the promotion of sustainable development in rural communities
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MDPI and ACS Style
Castro Ortegón, Y.A.; Acosta-Prado, J.C.; Acosta Castellanos, P.M.; Romero Correa, J.P.
Examining the Mediating Effect of the Rural Economic Dynamization between the Socio-Environmental Heritage and Sustainability of Protected Areas. Sustainability 2024, 16, 6525.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156525
AMA Style
Castro Ortegón YA, Acosta-Prado JC, Acosta Castellanos PM, Romero Correa JP.
Examining the Mediating Effect of the Rural Economic Dynamization between the Socio-Environmental Heritage and Sustainability of Protected Areas. Sustainability. 2024; 16(15):6525.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156525
Chicago/Turabian Style
Castro Ortegón, Yuddy Alejandra, Julio César Acosta-Prado, Pedro Mauricio Acosta Castellanos, and Juan Pablo Romero Correa.
2024. "Examining the Mediating Effect of the Rural Economic Dynamization between the Socio-Environmental Heritage and Sustainability of Protected Areas" Sustainability 16, no. 15: 6525.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156525
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