<p>Climate change is recognized as one of the most significant global challenges, undermining development prospects in the coming century. Resilience enables local communities to prepare for, cope with, and recover from its adverse impacts, with livelihood diversification being a key principle of resilience. Ecotourism offers a comprehensive approach that not only provides alternative livelihoods but also plays a pivotal role in achieving a more sustainable future. This study aims to design a paradigmatic model of socio-ecological resilience, focusing on the sustainable development of ecotourism in Kerman County, Iran. The research adopts a qualitative methodology with an inductive approach, characterized as exploratory in nature and fundamental in purpose, utilizing Grounded Theory methodology. The study population comprises tourism experts, including university professors, managers, and specialists from Kerman’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization, as well as the Agricultural Jihad Organization, selected through snowball sampling. Theoretical saturation was achieved after conducting 16 semi-structured interviews, though interviews continued until the 20th participant. Data analysis and processing were performed using AXQDA ₂₀₂₄ software. The validity of the study was assessed through the "participant feedback" strategy. The study identifies economic, socio-cultural, and environmental sustainability of ecotourism as the central phenomenon. Findings indicate that human factors, alongside environmental and natural components, serve as causal conditions driving sustainable ecotourism development. The ecotourism context and regional infrastructure act as facilitating conditions, while participatory interactions and political considerations function as intervening factors in this process. Key strategies identified for fostering resilience include environmental, socio-cultural, policy-programmatic, economic, and informational-educational strategies. These strategies lead to outcomes such as environmental resilience, enhanced economic resilience, socio-cultural resilience, and institutional resilience in Kerman County. This model provides a foundation for local policymaking to address the impacts of climate change and strengthen the resilience of indigenous communities.</p>