Indonesian Ecotourism NetworkJl. Jatipadang IA No.8 Jakarta 12540

Phone: (62-21-781.3712)indecon@cbn.net.id

INDONESIA

Visitor Impact Management in Bodogol Conservation Education Center,

Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park

 

Ary S. Suhandi* and Herda P. Hutabarat**

 

Abstract

Monitoring toward the impact caused by development and implementation of ecotourism development in a destination is supposed to bedesigned in the beginning of planning process. In reality, tourism practitioners have almost always avoided environmental and social monitoring.It is rarely occur a tour operator helps showing a way out on an environmentally degraded tourism area. Instead of taking full responsibility onthe environmental degradation caused by their tourism activities, it is common that tour practitioners would likely abandon the area and seeknew area, which still consist high selling value. There is still some barrier to conduct environmental monitoring among the larger-scale tourismdeveloper as well.

Mt. Gede Pangrango National Park is one of five Biosphere Reserve in Indonesia and also one of most-visited National Park by tourist (70.000annually). This national park consists of a cornucopia of biodiversity and relatively close to the big cities in Java, such as Jakarta, Bogor,Sukabumi, Cianjur, and Bandung. The park covers a 15.000 ha, which has important role for providing clean fresh water and air source to thementioned cities. It is also the home for many endangered and or endemic species such as Javan Gibbon (Hylobates moloch) and Javan HawkEagle (Spizaetus bartelsi). It consists of 254 species of birds, which simply means 63% of all bird species in Java island. Three institutions,representing different party, the Mt. Gede Pangrango National Park (TNGGP), Conservation International-Indonesia (CII), and ALAMI (AlamMitra Indonesia) Foundation, which formed the Bodogol Conservation Education Consortium, manage the area collaboratively. Located at thefoot of Pangrango Mt., at ( 800-m high from the sea level, the location is relatively easy to reach from Jakarta and other cities in the area.

The monitoring strategy applied to reach the project objective is strongly related to the strategy of the whole program. The main goal of theconservation education project is to develop a model of national park buffer zone utilization through a low-impact ecotourism activity. Themanagement of the area then takes important steps in their planning, by conducting participatory planning, involve their partner within theconsortium. Tactics used to achieve the objectives mentioned above are as follows: (1) Access control; (2) entrance fee policy; (3) Creation ofinteresting and innovative attraction; (4) Creating a reliable education module; (5) Produces qualified interpreter; (6) Form a consumer relationmanagement system

Steps toward creating monitoring in BCEC are done through: (1) Biological Surveys identifying fauna and flora for the purpose of base-line data.The data put in to a database system and analyze to find an indicator; (2) Biological survey analysis; (3) Designing environmental impactmonitoring, setting the design criteria through participatory process; (4) Conducting test and fine tuning the monitoring design.

Around 5400 visitors and 2100 students from more then 50 schools had been visited the center. The monitoring result showed that the impactof visitor to the target animal and its habitat is minimum. After one and half year operations, the gibbon group as main animal target and anindicator species have a new born. Rate a visitors have a change to see the animals target from zero increase to 46,5%. A random surveyconducted on 115 visitors in 1999 showed that 88,7% stated their interest to return to BCEC, and the interest for visitation based on theenthusiasm in experiencing the conservation education program is at the highest percentage (37.7% – 46.8%). Further on the survey, morethan 50% of the visitors stated satisfaction over the ability of BCEC management to maintain the natural beauty of the area, friendlyatmosphere services, volunteer knowledge, contents of educational material, and communication capability of the volunteer.

 

• How to enforce Monitoring systems? and Who’sresponsible?

• Monitoring is an expensive?

• Environmental/Social monitoring is to complicated?

• How to encourage community initiated Monitoring?

• How to design method for Community initiativemonitoring?

• How Monitoring related to the product andcommercial sustainability?

MONITORING IS IMPORTANT

Located at Gunung Gede PangrangoNational Park – Biosfer Reserve

• Total area of NP: 15.000 Hectars

• Visited by : 70.000 tourists/years

• 254 species of birds ( 68% of birds in Java)

• Endemic and endangered species (javan gibbonand javan leaf monkey)

• Close to Jakarta, Bogor, Bandung and Sukabumi.

Lesson Learned from

Managed by Consortium:• Conservation International Indonesia (International NGO’s)• Alam Mitra Indonesia Foundation (ALAMI)- National NGO• Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park (Government)

Partners of Consortium:• INDECON• Eagle Volunteer

• To create a model of buffer zonemanagement of National park;

• To introduce, promote and developlow–impact ecotourism conceptusing qualified conservationeducation programs within thepark;

• To increase the communityawareness on the importance ofconservation education;

• To establish a model of partnershipamong NGO’s, Government andPrivate sectors.

Objective: Model of Low Impact Tourism

Approach:

• Symbiotic mutualism approach; Low volume high value

Tactics/ Strategies:

Ø Control the access:§ Reservation systems§ Maintained the development of access to the site

Ø Price policy (NP: 2500 rupiahs; BCEC: 15.000 rps--30.000 rps)

Ø Create an innovative attraction (Canopy walkway)

Ø Create an innovative education module, which the traditional knowledgeand local values are adopted and highly appreciated.

Ø Established a professional Management body

Ø Established a high quality of interpreter (eagle volunteer)

Ø Create Consumer Relations management systems

Step on Environmental and Visitor Impact Monitoring

BASELINE DATA (scientific data collection, identified indicators)

ANALISYS

DESIGN THE MONITORING APPROACH & METHODE• Participatory (Biology expert, Management, Volunteers/Community)

(Choice the indicator, define clear objectives) : Gibbon andleaf monkey

• Test the monitoring systems ---- feedback from implementers

• Improvement the monitoring systems

IMPLEMENTATION(Data collection by visitors, biologist, data based)

EVALUATION (Analysis the data)

as barometer

JAVAN GIBBONJAVAN LEAF MONKEYBLACK LEAF MONKEYLONGTAILED MACACAQUE

Criteria Monitoring byVolunteers/Visitors:

• Easy system to conduct (simple, easy to fill in)• Required the minimum data for impact analysis• Can be used as part of education module;

Monitoring Voucher Systems

Interpreter:Group:Number of Visitors:

Period :Track :Time :

No. Species Num. of sp. Activity Location Animal response Visitor response to visitors to animals

JAVAN GIBBONJAVAN LEAF MONKEYBLACK LEAF MONKEYLONGTAILED MACACAQUE

Biologist:regular monitoring onanimals & phenology

Result of Monitoring:

Input for Management:

• Rate of visitors can have achance to see the animalstarget ( 0 39.5% )Marketing tools

• After 1 year operation :Gibbon group at Canopy-walkarea have a new born:

1. Less impact from visitors;2. Help management body tocreate temporary regulationon that particularly area

• Man And the Biosphere Program-Indonesia award 2000

• Number of Visitors visit 5400

• Number of Students visit 2100

• From 155 visitors survey:

• 88.7% visitors interest to return to BCEC

• 46.8% interest for visitation based on enthusiasm inexperiencing the conservation education program.

• 53.2% interest for visitation based on satisfaction overthe ability of BCEC management to maintain the naturalof the area, friendly atmosphere service, volunteerknowledge, contents of educational material, andcommunication capability of the volunteer.

Biograpichal note

Ary S. Suhandi is the executive director of INDECON, Indonesian Ecotourism Network.He has work on nature tourism since 1987, and as one of founders of INDECON in 1995.He has worked on ecotourism development project throughout Indonesia for both thepublic, and private sector.He has served as a consultant to the Asian Development Bank,Government of Indonesia and many private-sectors firms, as well as assisted many ofcommunity based ecotourism projects done by NGO’s.

He worked with the indigenous community in several places in Indonesia, such asMentawai community in West Sumatra, Bajau and local community in Togean islands,Komoro tribe in Papua and many others. Because of his effort, when he work asconservation enterprise for CI Indonesia, The Togean Ecotourism Network, whichconsist of the community group, won the British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Awardfor highly commanded place in Asia Pacific. He also succeed bring the BodogolConservation Education Center in Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park as a model oflow impact tourism in conservation area.