Non-Market Social Value and Conservation in a Tourist Corridor of a Protected Natural Area: Evidence from the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve (Peru)

This study examines the non-market social value generated by experiential, community-based tourism in the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve, a protected natural area in southern Peru, and its relevance for conservation-oriented planning and sustainable management. The aim was to estimate the non-market social value associated with a proposed tourist corridor by integrating stakeholders’ perceptions with a structured assessment of social, cultural, environmental, and economic impacts. A qualitative design was adopted, combining documentary review, fieldwork, semi-structured interviews with 42 stakeholders, observation, and triangulation. Stakeholders were identified and classified according to their roles, and the Matrix of Alliances and Conflicts: Tactics, Objectives and Recommendations (MACTOR) approach was used to analyze relationships, influence, and convergence among actor groups. Based on these results, key value variables were defined and monetized through the Polyhedral Social Accounting Model (SPOLY) approach using observable indicators and indirect economic proxies. The findings estimate a total non-market social value of S/ 311,030 (approximately USD 82,941), mainly associated with employment generation, rural accommodation, pollution reduction, basic services, and the strengthening of local cultural practices. These results show that experiential tourism can generate measurable social value beyond direct economic revenues and support conservation-compatible territorial planning.