Environmental transformations derived from the metabolism of residential tourism in Malinalco, State of Mexico

Abstract

Malinalco is a Mexican destination that presents a remarkable regional tourist development, which has altered its natural metabolism, which is related to the way it acquires and makes use of resources to satisfy human needs. The objective of this research is to analyze the metabolism of the residential tourist activity in Malinalco from the patterns of consumption, transformation and excretion of natural resources that determine its environmental trans[1]formation. The MUSIASEM method was used to evaluate biophysical data of three natural resources: land, water and energy, and relate them to the environmental transformations presented by the destination. This information was integrated from documented research and in-depth interviews with various key stakeholders. The results show that residential tourism activity quadruples the consumption of natural resources, transforming the en[1]vironment, especially due to the increased use of land for real estate projects, which use large amounts of water and energy, causing strong environmental pressures. As a result of biophysical accounting, a slow but eminent environmental deterioration is perceived as a result of a dichotomy between tourist-residential urbanization and nature; therefore, it is necessary to reorient tourism trends towards more sustainable practices and services.