September 2009 marked the completion of the successful GSTA Project in Ecuador. Over the past two and a half years, the Alianza Ecuatoriana para el Turismo Sostenible (AETS) has made significant gains in developing sustainable tourism as a means to improve protected areas in Ecuador while demonstrating social, cultural, and economic benefits to rural populations as a result. The AETS management established the first tourism program office within the Ministry of Environment (MAE) to help govern sustainable tourism development in protected areas; implemented a national marketing strategy with the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) to support the new protected area tourism program; and to demonstrate tangible results, succeeded in eight key protected areas to build visitor infrastructure, implement state of the art monitoring tools and mechanisms to mitigate tourism impacts; create and strengthen four innovative community-based enterprises, increase market access for over one hundred businesses and communities, and gain widespread public support for protected areas in Ecuador. The eight protected areas that benefited directly from the program include: Cotopaxi; Chimborazo; Mangalares Churute; Machalilla, Cotocachi-Cayapas, Cayambe-Coca, Yasuni-Cuyabeno and the Galapagos.

 Program Objectives and Achievements

The AETS was launched in May 2007 at a national “Whole System in the Room” meeting which brought together over 100 key stakeholders engaged in sustainable tourism development in Ecuador to define common ground and major actions for the program. As a basis for its approach, the AETS used innovative approaches such as SCALE™, which rely on participatory and catalytic actions among a diverse group of stakeholders in order to broaden the impact of development initiatives. The approach enabled the AETS to leverage over $3.0M in additional resources to $3.0M of USAID funding. The resulting program aimed to ensure better management of Ecuador’s biodiversity and natural resource base; promote benefits from conserving biodiversity to rural Ecuadorians by generating employment opportunities; attract and stimulate investment in the sector; and, showcase the country’s national patrimony to international and national visitors. The program objectives and key outputs are summarized as follows:

A.    Create an enabling environment for sustainable tourism and implement new models and mechanisms for generating income for protected areas.

B.    Implement adequate control and monitoring mechanisms for tourism activities, sensitizing local populations to sustainable tourism.

C.    Improve tourism-related infrastructure in protected areas.

D.    Improve the quality and diversification of sustainable tourism products and services offered in protected areas and buffer regions; and promote the development of relationships along the value chain.

E.    Incorporate communities located within and around protected areas in the tourism chain, so that sustainable tourism benefits local population (through training and capacity building).

F.    Develop and implement a tourism marketing and promotion strategy targeted at capturing local and international markets segments to protected areas.  

G.    Strengthen horizontal communication, coordination, and networking throughout the tourism sector system and increase public awareness and support for the sector and the project.

H.    Build capacity among sustainable tourism actors to improve their competitiveness and the conservation of protected areas (Workforce Development).

Biodiversity Conservation

One of the AETS program goals was to clearly link the improved management of protected areas and economic growth activities to alleviating threats to biodiversity. The conservation of forest cover in many of the focus protected areas are critical to addressing global climate change and improved management will help protect key species such as the Andean Condor, the horned screamer, giant river otters, jaguars, ocelots, pumas and their habitats. Policy level work in establishing a tourism program for protected areas within MAE, the institution of limits of acceptable change, and the new model SIMAVIS, will continue to help counteract threats. In summary, the following specific threats are being addressed by AETS activities:

Read more details about the various successful programs which were completed through the USAID Ecuador project.