Promising species for the development of ecotourism in “Campo Aventura Roca Madre”, Toluviejo-Sucre, Colombia

Objectives. To determine the species of flora and fauna relevant for development of ecotourism in a location of Sucre, Colombia. Materials and methods. A list of various species at the ecotourism center in the municipality of Toluviejo, Sucre, was studied which included abundance, economic and conservation relevance and adaptation data. The census was estimated and evaluated according to our index of potential importance for ecotourism, by adding the values assigned to each of the variables of interest. Results. 18 promising species of fauna and 16 promising species of plants were found. Animals with higher ecotourism potential were Dendrobates truncatus and Saguinus oedipus, endemic to Colombia, followed by Basiliscus basiliscus, Atta sp. Morpho peleides, Lycorea halia, Ara ararauna, all these of high abundance and easy detection. Regarding plants, Anacardium excelsum obtained the highest value as a result of endemism and their adaptations. Piper auritum, Matayba escrobiculata, Tabernaemontana cymosa and the specie commonly known as “jazmín de monte”, were easily detectable and abundant. Brownea ariza and Tabebuia rosea were the best candidates because of the beauty of their flowers. Conclusions. The species that may be of interest to eco-tourists were determined and this makes it possible to improve the product offering from deepening their knowledge.