Eco-edutourism for biodiversity conservation and community empowerment in Bukit Cubung Karst, Kulon Progo, Indonesia
Article Sidebar
Abstract Views: 0
File Views: 0
Main Article Content
Abstract
Abstract. Febriyantiningrum K, Pamungkas R, Sudrajat AK, Zahra MA, Husain A. 2026. Eco-edutourism for biodiversity conservation and community empowerment in Bukit Cubung Karst, Kulon Progo, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 27 (6): d270602. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d270602. Indonesia’s karst landscapes support distinctive biodiversity but remain highly vulnerable to habitat degradation, weak conservation governance, and limited livelihood options for surrounding communities. This study examines how community-based eco-edutourism can link biodiversity conservation and community empowerment in the Bukit Cubung karst area, Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta, using a participatory action research approach. The intervention combined biodiversity inventory (flora and fauna surveys across four microhabitats), ecological literacy training for local participants, and facilitation of community-based tourism governance. Flora sampling across ten 10 m × 10 m plots and transects documented 23 plant species, while fauna surveys recorded 17 non-avian species, yielding Shannon-Wiener diversity values of H’ = 2.71 for flora and H’ = 2.43 for fauna, indicating moderately high ecological heterogeneity in the study site. Ecological literacy among 20 community participants increased from a mean pre-test score of 42.1% to 87.8% in the post-test, reflecting substantial improvements in knowledge of local species and karst ecosystem functions. Program implementation supported the formation of a village eco-edutourism committee, the development of simple visitor management rules, and the use of the biodiversity inventory as interpretive material for guiding and environmental education activities. These findings suggest that eco-edutourism, when grounded in site-specific biodiversity data and participatory learning, can strengthen local ecological knowledge, foster shared responsibility for conservation, and contribute to community empowerment in fragile karst landscapes.
Article Details
Issue
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
Angulo B, Morales T, Uriarte JA, Antigüedad I. 2013. Implementing a comprehensive approach for evaluating significance and disturbance in protected karst areas to guide management strategies. J Environ Manag 130: 386-396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.08.057.
Arif R, Mandeli RS, Lestari DA, Hanriesta R. 2024. Threats of mining activities and karst landscape management strategies in Indonesia. AIP Conf Proc 3001: 080019. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0184145.
Canedoli C, Ficetola GF, Corengia D, Tognini P, Ferrario A, Padoa-Schioppa E. 2022. Integrating landscape ecology and the assessment of ecosystem services in the study of karst areas. Landsc Ecol 37 (1): 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-021-01351-2.
Chen A, Ng Y, Zhang E, Tian M. 2020. Karst cave tourism landscape. In: Chen A, Ng Y, Zhang E, Tian M (eds). Dictionary of Geotourism. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2538-0_1254.
Chen S, Yang Z, Wu Y, Li Y, Meng L, Chen L, Chen Y, Shao X, Sui M, Zhang G, Chen D, He Y, Zang L, Liu Q. 2024a. Species prefer to shifting niche positions rather than expanding niche breadth to adapt to the heterogeneous karst forests. For Ecosyst 11: 100247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100247.
Chen T, Wang Y, Peng L. 2024b. Exploring social-ecological system resilience in South China Karst: Quantification, interaction and policy implication. Geogr Sustain 5 (2): 289-301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geosus.2024.01.003.
Chen Y, Cheng C, Xiong K, Rong L, Zhang S. 2024c. Quantifying the biodiversity and ecosystem service outcomes of karst ecological restoration: A meta-analysis of South China Karst. Catena 245: 108278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2024.108278.
Culver DC, Pipan T. 2019. The Biology of Caves and Other Subterranean Habitats. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
De Waele J, Gutiérrez F. 2022. Karst Hydrogeology, Geomorphology and Caves. 1st ed. Wiley, Hoboken. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119605379.
Fennell DA. 2020. Ecotourism. 5th ed. Routledge, London. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429346293.
Goldscheider N. 2019. A holistic approach to groundwater protection and ecosystem services in karst terrains. Carbonates Evaporites 34: 1241-1249. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13146-019-00492-5.
Government of Indonesia. 2024. Indonesian Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2025-2045. Government of Indonesia, Jakarta.
Haryono E, Adji TN, Widyastuti M, Trijuni S. 2009. Atmospheric carbon dioxide sequestration trough karst denudation process: Preliminary estimation from Gunung Sewu Karst. In: Proceeding of International Seminar on Achieving Resilient-Agriculture to Climate Change Through the Development of Climate-Based Risk Management Scheme. PERHIMPI, Bogor, 17-19 December 2009.
Kaivo-oja J, Panula-Ontto J, Vehmas J, Luukkanen J. 2014. Relationships of the dimensions of sustainability as measured by the sustainable society index framework. Intl J Sustain Dev World Ecol 21 (1): 39-45. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504509.2013.860056.
Kiss A. 2004. Is community-based ecotourism a good use of biodiversity conservation funds? Trends Ecol Evol 19 (5): 232-237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2004.03.010.
Kumilamba G, Liu S, Wang Z, Li J, Zhan Y, Lu X. 2025. Understory biodiversity in karst forests: A comparison of pure (Pinus massoniana) and mixed forests in Guiyang, China. For Ecol Manag 588: 122753. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122753.
Ma B, Jing J, Liu B, Xu Y, Dou S, He H. 2022. Spatiotemporal variation of net primary productivity influenced by climatic variables in the karst area of China. Geocarto Intl: 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/10106049.2022.2129845.
Mičetić Stanković V. 2023. Biodiversity in karst landscapes: Introduction to the special issue. Diversity 15 (3): 408. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15030408.
Scheyvens R. 1999. Ecotourism and the empowerment of local communities. Tour Manag 20 (2): 245-249. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-5177(98)00069-7.
Sulistiyowati E, Setiadi, Haryono E. 2021. Karst and conservation research in Indonesia and its implication to education. J Phys Conf Ser 1796 (1): 012071. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1796/1/012071.
Widodo S, Hidayat K, Sukesi K, Yuliati Y. 2024. Farmer household livelihood strategy around karst area in Tuban, East Java. Habitat 35 (3): 304-317. https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.habitat.2024.035.3.25.
Wijayanti P, Noviani R. 2020. Disaster Threats in the Gunungsewu Karst Area and Mitigation Efforts in the Framework of Disaster Risk Reduction Review of the Hydrological and Geomorphological Aspects. In Social, Humanities, and Educational Studies (SHEs): Conference Series. https://doi.org/10.20961/shes.v3i1.45067.
Zupan Hajna N. 2025. Caves and karst in global sustainability: The case for an international day. Nature-Based Solutions 8: 100282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbsj.2025.100282.