THE CARBON FOOTPRINT AND MONETARY VALUE OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPAIRMENT BY THE DISPLACEMENT TOWARDS PROTECTED AREAS IN ECUADOR

Objective: Generate environmental awareness and economic valuation of the pollution caused by the movement of people to the protected areas (PA) of Ecuador from the city of Ambato.   Theoretical Framework: The perspectives of alternative development and sustainable development models provide the theoretical framework that supports this work and allows us to envision alternatives for solving environmental conflicts such as pollution and environmental deterioration of the country's protected areas.   Method: The methodology used was built based on environmental assessment methods. Thus, first, the country's protected areas were identified, and the distances from Ambato to the PAs in kilometers were calculated. Then, the fuel used for the trip was calculated, as well as the fuel consumption of the round trip, which helped to obtain the carbon footprint generated by the transfer and determine the environmental cost of the carbon dioxide emission.   Results and Discussion: The investigation results determined that the cost of environmental contamination when visiting the 47 Ecuadorian protected areas was $395,391.37.   Research Implications: However, the contribution of this study focuses on providing evidence that conserving nature is more profitable than exploiting it.   Originality/Value: The study demonstrates the need to change transportation for a sustainable mobility system to achieve social, economic, and environmental balance.