SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL IMPACT OF COVID-19 IN RURAL AREAS. A CASE STUDY IN CENTRAL SPAIN

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly modified the social-ecological conditions of Spanish rural municipalities, for which the health crisis may represent a significant development opportunity. This work focuses on detecting the main factors responsible for the urban-rural movement of the population of the Madrid Region due to COVID-19 and its social-ecological consequences and on identifying the effect of the pandemic on tourism throughout the urban-rural gradient studied. A survey was designed based on 15 multi-choice questions completed by 55 municipalities in the region. The preference of internal urban-rural migrants and nature-based tourists for places far from the city and with a high degree of naturalness has been identified. Studies similar to this one lay the foundations for future research at different territorial scales and are useful tools to guide early decision-making in the face of unexpected risks with high social-ecological impact.