Evaluation of the potential of the observation of Alouatta palliata for local conservation and development in fragments of rainforests: the case of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico

In order to develop a quantitative, georeferenced instrument for evaluating the factors that favor or impede the successful implementation of ecotourism activities based on the observation of A. palliata in fragments of rainforests, we devised a set of indicators that permit a multidimensional quantification of the potential, both natural and socioeconomic, of this activity. Based on a normative vision of ecotourism, these indicators (i) assess the natural conditions that determine the potential long-term conservation of this species, and (ii) provide indices for evaluating the social and professional potential of the populations that reside near fragments of the rainforest for developing ecotourism services capable of generating socially-balanced economic benefits. Based on fragments of rainforest with extant troops of A. palliata in the northern Isthmus of Tehuantepec, we demonstrate the applicability of the indices in decision-making founded upon transparent, multivariable criteria related to assigning economic and human resources to foment ecotourism in specific regions.