Abstract
Zaruma is host to the ‘‘El Sexmo’’ tourist mine, the galleries of which extend below the city, and its exploitation dates back to precolonial times. The mining boom created important development in the area, but informal mining also emerged causing environmental issues and safety problems. This study presents a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the “El Sexmo” Tourist Mine in the context of its potential as a tourism geosite and mining site. The methodological stages included: (i) The process and systematization of the general mine information and its surroundings; (ii) the assessment of the geological and mining interest of the mine, through GAM and Brilha method; and (iii) description and proposal of action strategies through Delphi analysis and a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) matrix. Based on the results of the quantitative evaluation, the high values in the educational, scientific, and tourist aspects of the two applied methodologies, show the mine as a potential geosite and mining site with added cultural value. In addition, the quantitative assessment in correspondence with the qualitative analysis, allowed to propose improvement strategies to take advantage of the geological resources and mining identity of the area, as an alternative that strengthens the infrastructure of the mine and consolidates the geotouristic development of the area.
Highlights
Mining activity generates positive impacts on the economy and development of surrounding communities around the influence area of mineral deposits, it produces negative effects on the economic, ecological, and aesthetic aspects [1,2,3,4]
Zaruma and looking for an alternative that enhances the geomining values and its relationship with culture, the aim of this study is to evaluate the “El Sexmo” Tourist Mine as an agent of geotourism and development linked to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the detailed assessment of its geological and mining interest based on internationally recognized methodologies to proposal of strategies that optimize their use in the context of geological and mining heritage
Registration of local and international visitors showed that “El Sexmo” Tourist Mine had more than 35,000 visits
Summary
Mining activity generates positive impacts on the economy and development of surrounding communities around the influence area of mineral deposits, it produces negative effects on the economic, ecological, and aesthetic aspects [1,2,3,4]. Outstanding initiatives include solar power plants in inactive open-pit mines (sustainable energy) [1], theme parks (creation of green areas) [6], underground museums [7], and tourist mines (geological, mining, and cultural heritage) [8]. Some tourist mines represent an example of mining geo-heritage due to the peculiar characteristics that can be used for education, research, and geotourism, and in particular, these places retain historical issues that are closely related to such as cultural aspects, constituting a means to approach mining activity in a sustainable way. An example of World Cultural Heritage mines are the salt mines of Wieliczka and Bochnia (Poland), whose galleries have hundreds of kilometers with works of art, underground chapels, and statues sculpted in salt that reflect the mining activity developed in Europe from the 13th to the 20th century [9]. In 1978, the Wieliczka salt mine was declared a UNESCO cultural heritage site and later, in
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