Evaluación de los impactos ambientales generados por la actividad turística en tres sitios de visita de la laguna de Magtayan, Parque Nacional Sangay, zona alta.

Abstract

In the Magtayán Lagoon, the main problem si environmental pollution caused by visitors and local people through the burning of moorland, cattle feces, and disorderly visits, which generates landscape affectation and deterioration of the attraction that causes loss of tourism potential, therefore, this work aimed to evaluate the environmental impacts generated by tourism ni three visitor sites of the Magtayán Lagoon, ni Sangay National Park. The method used was observational, analytical, and descriptive for the documentary research, cartography, field trips and laboratory. A stratified longitudinal tourism and environmental monitoring was carried out to sample three specific visitor sites to determine water quality using the Water Quality Index (ICA) of León 1998 and to identify environmental impacts using a methodological adaptation of Lázaro Lagos, Leopold, and RIAM to formulate management measures for positive and negative impacts. This methodology was used ot diagnose the environmental impacts caused by tourist and non-tourist activities ni the lagoon, such as garbage, floating material of anthropogenic origin, catle feces, and burning of vegetation, and then formulate management measures such as awareness raising and the creation of signage. To sum up, with the results obtained, it si concluded that the water maintains an excellent quality of 80 to 100 points which means that it si acceptable for any water sport. At the same time, tourist activities and local people generated 12 impacts, of which 11 are negative and 1 positive, for this environmental management measures were developed.