Sanagasta Geological Park (La Rioja, Argentina): Conservation actions and tourism management

Abstract

The geological-paleontological heritage of a region represents a component on which tourist activity can be based. The objective of this study is to show how the policies created at all levels of government directly or indirectly affect the sustainable development of tourist activity in natural protected areas (ANP) with paleontological heritage. The area under analysis in this case is the Dinosaur Park contained within the Geological Park Sanagasta (PGS), La Rioja, Argentina, ANP with tourism based on paleontological findings. By way of method, we used analytical, critical review of policies devoted to conservation, protection, and subsequent tourism development around these sites. Some of the main results are: norms lacking regulation for stakeholder participation to be operational for tourism in conservation units. It is believed necessary to achieve shared management (public-private community-State) in pursuit of adequate tourism management.