Valoración económica ambiental del recurso suelo de la comunidad de guayllabamba, Cantón Chambo, Provincia de Chimborazo

Abstract

The objective of this research work was to economically and environmentally assess the soil resource of the Guayllabamba community, which is located in the ChamboCanton, carrying out the physicochemical characterization of the soil to know its current state, in addition, surveys were applied to determine the services ecosystems that the soil provides to the canton and the economic valuation of the resource.The information was collected by the contingent method through the application of surveys collecting the necessary data and fulfilling the objectives established in the investigation. The results obtained from the characteristics such as the pH and electrical conductivity of the soil, together with the percentages of organic matter, density and nutrients, indicate productive soils. When extracted, a high economic and environmental impact is generated in the area.The ecosystem services provided by the soil of theGuayllabamba community were the following: support service, provisioning service, cultural service and regulation service. According to the data collected about the willingness to pay for soil conservation, a monthly average of 0.52 cents was obtained, a value that was multiplied by the number of homes in the entire Chambo Canton (2,056 homes), giving an annual value of $12,829. Forty-four twelve thousand eight hundred twenty-nine dollars and forty-four cents.Soil is a non-renewable natural resource, so its extraction implies an invaluable and irreparable loss in the short term. For these reasons, Sustainable Development policies must be created that guarantee the protection of this valuable environmental asset, strengthening areas of economic growth that do not imply the extraction and depletion of the resource as has already occurred in the rural sector.