Nutrition is Perceived as an Ecosystem Service of the Mangrove by Rural People in Ecuador

The mangrove ecosystem is considered as the source of livelihood, particularly for coastal areas. This study explores the perception of the inhabitants of Puerto El Morro and the island of Costa Rica (Ecuador) against the ecosystem services of the mangrove. Seven quantitative variables were used on the Likert scale by performing exploratory factor analysis. The results were based on a sample of 94 participants finding 2 factors, tourism (29.07% of variance) and nutritious food production (25.45% of variance remaining). The reliability of the questionnaire was acceptable according to Cronbach’s Alpha 0.654. A confirmatory factor analysis is necessary to revalidate the items of the factors. Keywords: coastal communities, eating, mangroves, livelihoods, nutrition. Resumen El ecosistema de manglar se considera fuente de medios de vida, en particular para zonas costeras. Este estudio explora la percepción de los habitantes de Puerto El Morro y la isla Costa Rica (Ecuador) frente a los servicios ecosistémicos del manglar. Se utilizaron 7 variables cuantitativas en escala de Likert realizando análisis factorial exploratorio. Los resultados parten de una muestra de 94 participantes, hallando 2 factores: turismo (29,07% de varianza) y producción alimentos nutritivos (25,45% de varianza restante). La confiabilidad del cuestionario fue aceptable según el Alfa de Cronbach 0.654. Es necesario un análisis factorial confirmatorio para revalidar los ítems de los factores. Palabras Clave: comunidades costeras; alimentación; manglares; medios de vida; nutrición.