RURAL TOURISM, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND RESILIENCE IN PIEDRA HERRADA, MEXICO

The impact generated by rural tourism in the ejido Piedra Herrada was analyzed, located in the municipality of Temascaltepec, Estado de Mexico (Mexico), which is characterized by the touristic exploitation of the hibernation process of the monarch butterfly (Danausplexippus L.), based on the assessment of resilience. For this purpose, contributions by Martin-Lopez et al. (2009) are taken up again, to determine the socioecological system (SES) from the place of study, and by Strickland-Munro et al. (2010) and Santos (2012) for the analysis of impacts of tourism in natural protected areas (NPA), from the resilience and the assessment criteria: disturbances, vulnerability, connectivity and potential for change. It was identified that tourism is generating economic benefits for the local population, which in turn has an impact on the conservation of the forest environment and the habitat of the monarch butterfly; however, the SES is sensitive to the dynamics and intensification of the tourism activity, with reach on soil and biodiversity conservation, which is why it is necessary to define strategies that favor environmental conservation and an adequate rural tourism development.