The remote and vulnerable regions of the Andean Cordillera, piedmont areas and valleys, hold a rich heritage and a vast potential for the rural development. The past decade a concern grew out about the complexity and dynamics of the territorial transformation in Argentina. The absence of planning and regulations that seek proper land use and the resources distribution, show that some territorial processes in various scales will irreparably affect the long-term local sustainability. This research work is aimed at proposing rational guidelines for resource and land usage in the Valley of Iglesia of northern San Juan, Argentina, through the valuation of heritage and natural resources, specifically the optimized usage of geothermal energy sources of this region. Therefore, a territorial strategy has been devised to assess the local heritage, their characteristics and the level of social involvement of the communities and the incoming entrepreneurships towards the conservation of their patrimony and natural ecosystems. Furthermore in this study, a critical area prone to irreversible deterioration has been detected, for which case a comprehensive tourist project has been proposed while considering the rational resource and land usage through the consensus and motivation for action of all parties involved. It is concluded that the patrimonial identity constitutes the genetic value of culture to find better solutions for rural development. The intrinsic relationship of the geothermal potential and the community, is considered as true agent of development for heritage conservation, diversification of land use and community inclusion.

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