Valuation of the Diversity of Native Plants and the Cultural-Archaeological Richness as an Integrative Approach for a Potential Use in Ecotourism in the Inter-Andean Valley of Cusco, Southern Peru

Abstract

In recent years, ecological tourism has become very important as it contributes significantly to sustainable development. In order to assess the potential for ecotourism and cultural-archaeological attributes, we studied the plant diversity of 10 traditionally visited natural routes of the valley of Cusco, Peru. Plant gamma diversity was represented by 384 species of vascular plants, with 220 genera, and 69 families; the most diverse were: Asteraceae with 93 species, Poaceae (36), and Fabaceae (15). The species with the highest frequency in the 10 routes are: Amaranthus caudatus, Escallonia resinosa, Stenomesson pearcei, and Baccharis buxifolia. Route 2 (Picol-Huaqoto) was the one with the greatest alpha diversity with 120 species. The CHAO-1 richness estimator estimates a gamma diversity of 570 species for all of the Cusco Valley. The Bray–Curtis beta diversity shows a high similarity (55%) and three floristic groups as determined by a non-metric multidimensional analysis (NMDS) and cluster analysis. The highest concentration of flowering plant species is grouped mainly during the rainy season (R2 = 0.19), and this relationship is significantly different from the dry season (p < 0.005). The integrative biological–cultural analysis identified routes R8, R10, R6, R7, and R2 as those with the greatest potential for ecotourism use in the Cusco Valley. The plant diversity and cultural–archaeological offerings along the tourist routes documented in this study present significant opportunities for the city of Cusco to attract both national and foreign tourists. Additionally, this study highlights the importance of prioritizing conservation and preservation efforts for these areas.