Ecotourism in Sebangau National Park: an avenue to enhance local community livelihoods while protecting the ecosystem

Abstract

Ecotourism has been a preferable option in utilizing resources within a protected area (PA) in developing countries as it is considered as a bridge between nature conservation and rural economic development. The aims of this study are: To evaluate the implementation of ecotourism in a national park and to investigate the key factors influencing the socio-economic outcomes of ecotourism for rural and remote communities. This study uses Sebangau National Park (SNP) in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, as a case study. This exploratory research was conducted using the qualitative method approach. Data collection included focus group discussion, in-depth interview, observation, and secondary data. A descriptive analysis was used to analyze the data. Results of the study show that despite local communities’ complaints on ecotourism development including its low income, local communities perceived that ecotourism is a feasible option for their livelihood sources. They were optimistic that in the future, income from ecotourism can be competed with other livelihood sources such as logging, fishing, collecting rattan, and tapping jelutung or rubber resin. However, the local community realized that their involvement in ecotourism activities needed several requirements including knowledge and skills about ecotourism as well as the involvement of other stakeholders.