BOSQUE HABITADO, BOSQUE VISITADO: TENSIONES DE USO Y REPRESENTACIÓN DE LAS ÁREAS FORESTALES EN EL MARCO DEL TURISMO RURAL

Abstract

In the context of global capitalist dynamics, rural areas and their forest environments have progressively become objects of tourist consumption for urban populations. This phenomenon is based on processes of nature patrimonialization, rooted in urban normative hierarchies and in the nature-culture dichotomy. This study analyzes how dominant representations of rurality and forests influence local daily life, not only through institutional mechanisms of patrimonialization, but also through concrete interactions between tourists, forest environments and local communities. 

Using a qualitative case study methodology, 17 in-depth interviews were conducted in two rural areas of Spain: the region of La Vera (Extremadura) and the Alfoz de Segovia (Castilla y León). The results show that, far from the predominant dichotomous views, forests are complex social spaces, with a great diversity of uses and meanings for local populations and visitors. In both regions, there is an alteration between tourists and residents, derived from conflicting or divergent meanings of the place. This tension affects the uses of forest environments, which must be renegotiated with the arrival of new actors and changing dynamics, sometimes generating conflicts and unrest among the local population.