ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case study of the engagement of the Fakcha Llakta community in the ecological restoration of the Cascada de Peguche Forest Protected Area, and its role in an Indigenous cultural-historical revival and in ecotourism activities in Imbabura province, Otavalo district, Ecuador. It considers cultural and environmental developments, especially after the Peguche Management Plan of the 1990s, which has given an 'environmental stewardship' status and role to members of the Fakcha Llakta community. The chapter examines the main autochthonous elements that have historically been embodied in Ecuadorian Fakcha Llakta community and have been considered for implementing an ethnic-based development model to conserve cultural and natural assets. It seeks to fill gaps in literature on tourism and ethnodevelopment by presenting a genuine empirical case of development based on ethnicity. The chapter sets 'environmental education' as a critical element intertwined with cultural knowledge as part of a holistic empirical model of ethnodevelopment; this approach can help fill gaps in literature.
