Ecotourism and Co-Management: Strengthening Socio-Ecological Resilience in Local Food Systems

The general aim of this paper is to analyse theoretical perspectives on ecotourism, co-production, and co-management, seeking to understand how these approaches interact and promote the sustainability of natural food resources and sustainable management practices. The methodology adopts a qualitative approach with exploratory and descriptive objectives, utilising a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to identify and examine the key studies related to the subject. The main findings indicate that ecotourism fosters biodiversity conservation, which sustains local food practices and provides significant economic benefits for local communities through co-production and co-management between stakeholders. The community emerges as a principal active resource in planning and management processes by creating opportunities for environmental education; integrating local knowledge and experiences to develop a unique, multidimensional adaptive capacity; and promoting system regulation. Moreover, the analysis of the examined works highlights the importance of environmental education programmes, flexible institutions open to dialogue with the community, and the equitable distribution of benefits. Lastly, a framework is presented that depicts the relationship among ecotourism, co-production, co-management, and socio-ecological resilience, based on five premises. This framework proposes a holistic approach to achieving socio-ecological resilience in food practices and the sustainable management of resources.