Santa Elena Peninsula is characterized by beautiful geological features, historical geoscientific knowledge, and mineral and tourism resources that could all be combined for the sake of community development. This article provides an overview of the Santa Elena Peninsula Geopark Project through the assessment of six areas that are considered by inhabitants and researchers possible geosites to foster geotourism. The methodology included: (i) a technical description and assessment of the areas of interest evaluating their geological relevance, representativeness, geotouristic prominence, geotouristic scientific interpretation, and conservation criteria; (ii) an assessment through questionnaires carried out on inhabitants; and (iii) a SWOT Plus analysis to propose strategies for promoting geotourism. Results show that the areas of interest are highly valued as geosites, since they integrate geodiversity, biodiversity, and sociocultural aspects. For example, Ancon is a historical icon of early oil exploitation, Baños de San Vicente is a natural spring of thermal water and mud volcano, and Anconcito has bituminous exudations of natural occurrence together with a spectacular landscape produced by erosion. Overall, 90% of these sites were proved to be of high and very high interest in scientific terms. Geotourism is believed to be beneficial for the inhabitants of the Santa Elena Peninsula with respect to education, valorization of resources, and the strengthening of cultural identity of communities.

A socio-ecological system describes dynamics and interactions between society and ecosystems, through social, economic, and ecological processes that influence the state of natural resources. The aim of this paper is to describe the socio-ecological system of Manglaralto through participatory action research in order to understand human ecodynamics and the perception of beneficiaries about ecosystem services focus to the planning of a participatory ecofuture scenario for Manglaralto. The sustainable management of the Manglaralto coastal aquifer has been identified as a key activity. The key stakeholders involved in the socio-ecological system of Manglaralto are the population of rural community, the Manglaralto Regional Drinking Water Management Board, associations, and economic activities, highlighting the tourism. Agriculture ceased to be the most important economic activity in Manglaralto. Its inhabitants have strengthened other economic activities such as small businesses of buying and selling, fishing, and tourism because of its coastal geographical location and the natural and cultural attractions of great tourist potential that it has. A future is glimpsed based on the sustainable use of ecosystem services such as water and tourism.