VALORIZING BIOCULTURAL RESOURCES THROUGH EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING: COMMUNITY-BASED RURAL TOURISM IN SOUTHERN ECUADOR

Abstract

This article analyzes the valorization of biocultural resources in the Mancomunidad de las Meliponas (Inter-Municipal Association), in southern Ecuador, from a community-based rural tourism perspective, focusing on how a community engagement practicum shapes university students’ understanding of these resources and of the entrepreneurial opportunities associated with them. The study focuses on tourism students enrolled in a community engagement academic practice (April–August 2025) that produced technical assets for the Mancomunidad, later presented at the IV International Festival of Native Stingless Bees; some students travelled to the territory and engaged directly with producers and practices related to meliponiculture, while others participated remotely. A qualitative case study design with descriptive support was adopted. Data were collected through two online questionnaires with closed- and open-ended questions, answered at the beginning (n = 22) and at the end (n = 15) of the practice, and were examined through thematic content analysis; the fifthteen post-practice responses were matched with their pre-practice responses, and six of these students had travelled to the territory. This design is grounded in experiential learning, recognizing students as mediators in the construction of knowledge about the stingless bees agro-productive landscape. The results suggest a shift from a descriptive and fragmented understanding of local resources toward a more integrated view that links nature, culture, tourism and sustainability: references to tourism rose from 27% to 87% of answers and references to sustainability/development from 23% to 80%, while references to culture/identity declined. This shift was also observed among students who did not travel and may partly reflect a change in question wording; direct contact with the territory was mainly associated with more place-specific knowledge. The study contributes to understanding the educational dimension of biocultural resource valorization. Its implications for local entrepreneurship and territorial development, framed by the quadruple helix model, are potential rather than demonstrated and require further research that includes community stakeholders