The sustainability of Community-based sustainability through resilience thinking: the case of Yunguilla (Ecuador)

Studying community-based tourism, through resilience, is an alternative in research to understand the adaptation processes of communities and, thus, to value their sustainability. This article aims to understand community tourism practices that nurture resilience and at the same time contribute to the practical objectives of sustainability, taking as a case study the rural community of Yunguilla (Ecuador). This community had logging as its main economic activity, affecting its natural environment and main livelihoods. Using qualitative methodology, with an ethnographic perspective, triangulating interviews, participant observations and other documents, the article reveals that community-based tourism is capable of formulating responses to socio-environmental concerns and promoting the rational use of natural resources. It is concluded that tourism in Yunguilla, as a community business model, is a resilience strategy that shapes the sustainability of the socio-ecological system.