Fundamentos para una cátedra de gestión del turismo amazónico basado en la naturaleza en Pastaza, Ecuador

Abstract

Introduction. Nature-based Amazonian tourism (NBT) requires governance and capabilities to coordinate actors, sustain organizational continuity, and convert information into decisions; in Pastaza (Ecuador), an institutional gap persists to articulate the NBT cluster system and its cantonal micro-clusters. Objective. To propose the legal, methodological, and practical foundations for creating the Chair for Nature-Based Amazonian Tourism Management (CGesTAN) as an institutional instrument to strengthen territorial capacities and governance. Methodology. A qualitative–documentary, exploratory–propositional study combining a narrative review (2020–2026), documentary–normative and territorial planning analysis, semi-structured interviews with tourism sector actors (n=45), and two co-design workshops; triangulation was conducted across documents, field evidence, and a comparative normative benchmark. Results. CGesTAN was conceptually defined as a transversal academic unit (comparative benchmark: Cuban MES), minimum legal–organizational components were specified (founding dossier, institutional attachment, internal governance, annual plan/accountability, and periodic ratification), the Selva–Aula model was formalized as a theory of change, a 120-hour hybrid diploma program was structured as the first implementation phase, and an operational indicator matrix was proposed for cluster monitoring. Conclusion. CGesTAN integrates institutional structure, curriculum, and monitoring tools into an evaluable and potentially sustainable system; future robustness depends on completing local legal traceability and strengthening participatory validation through auditable matrices and piloting. General Area of Study: Tourism. Specific area of study: Territorial tourism management. Type of study: Original articles.