Design for policy strengthening: Analysis of forest fire disaster mitigation governance through ecotourism development integration in Siak Regency

Abstract

This study aims to explain the design of policy strengthening in forest and land fire disaster mitigation governance, through the integration of ecotourism development in Siak Regency. Based on the research topic, this study employs a qualitative approach to describe governance conditions and the design of policy strengthening in ecotourism-based disaster mitigation governance. Data analysis is performed using Nvivo 12 Plus software. The results of this study indicate that forest and land fire disaster mitigation governance based on ecotourism development still has shortcomings that need to be addressed in the principles of conservation, economy, and community involvement. Then, the design of a policy to strengthen ecotourism-based disaster mitigation governance includes three crucial policy recommendations, namely: the need for special regulations related to forest and land fire disaster mitigation prevention based on the integration of ecotourism principle development, the need for a balance of roles between actors in determining and implementing ecotourism-based disaster mitigation policies, and the need for effective and efficient implementation of ecotourism-based disaster mitigation policies through increasing the involvement of strategic actors. Substantially, the handling of forest and land fire disasters in Siak Regency can be combined with ecotourism activities, especially in tourist village areas, by developing policies to strengthen the utilization of village-owned disaster mitigation facilities such as reservoirs, lakes, or ponds that are converted into water supplies during the dry season for forest and land fire disaster prevention activities and local economy-based tourist destinations. Our findings are a strategic effort to raise awareness among actors and highlight the need for policy-strengthening design in ecotourism-based disaster mitigation. These findings can also contribute to the literature that will be useful for all stakeholders in developing future long-term disaster mitigation governance policies. This study relies heavily on information from key informants, who represent only the perspectives and expertise of the stakeholders encountered. However, it still refers to important elements based on the informants’ knowledge capabilities in the disaster and tourism sectors. Therefore, we propose to conduct future studies on a comprehensive analysis of sustainable ecotourism-based disaster mitigation governance to promote and accelerate the idea of disaster and tourism in the future.