Environmental educational model for community tourism of fakcha llakta community - Ecuador

Abstract

The current research aims to answering the need to systematize and give continuity to the environmental education processes developed by researcher for over a decade, to promote sustainable community tourism in the Fakcha Llakta community, Cantón Otavalo, Ecuador. The purpose was construct an environmental educational model through the historical reconstruction of indigenous community experience, based in the practice of environmental knowledge. The work is based on the qualitative paradigm with an ethnographic, interpretative focus. Its structure is divided into 3 phases: 1. Immersion of researcher in the context for environmental historic reconstruction of community experience. 2. Disclosure of community environmental education practices. 3. Conceptualisation and construction of na environmental education model for sustainable community tourism. The obtaining informations is given through the participant observation in depth interview with community key informant. The results allowed the environmental historic reconstruction of community tourist experience trhough 16 identified points from social, ecological, touristic, declaration of forest area protection, management plan, construction of touristic infrastructure, environmental sanitation, capacitation, empowerment and protected area of community. Furthermore, rebuild the environmental education processes implemented for enhance the community tourism development, immersed in local vision of wich are summarized in: cognitive recognition and its relation with nature; establishment of interinstitutional alliances; consolidation of learning and continuity learning; integration of the school with the comunity in the teaching of community tourism, the incorporation of past knowledge for the development of tourism. Finaly, na environmental education model was developed for the responsible management of the area, from the sustainable tourist practice. The model contemplates its theoretical bases and the educational, social, technological dimensions, institutional, ecological, cultural and economic law policy