223
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Essay

Strategies to Develop Sustainable Seagrass-Associated Tourism in Indonesia

, , , , , , , , , , , , , & show all
 

Abstract

Indonesia has significant potential for the implementation of seagrass-associated tourism due to its high seagrass species diversity, large spatial-extent of seagrass meadows and abundant charismatic seagrass-associated species. Seagrass-associated tourism will not only increase the livelihoods of local communities but also have positive impacts on biodiversity within seagrass ecosystems. However, there are specific challenges that need to be addressed as a priority in order to promote sustainable seagrass tourism. These challenges include: (1) lack of awareness among the local communities about the potential of seagrass-associated tourism, (2) potential adverse impacts of tourism activities on natural seagrass ecosystems, (3) lack of standardized parameters for assessing the suitability of sites for seagrass tourism, and (4) lack of safety information for seagrass-associated tourism activities. To overcome these challenges, we propose a number of recommendations that will serve as a basis for promoting seagrass ecosystems as a new nature-based tourism destination in Indonesia.

Acknowledgement

We thank the academics, researchers, business owners and NGOs for supporting the initial development of ideas for this work by participating in an online focus group discussion, facilitated by the Research Center for Oceanography, National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia on November 3, 2022.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study is a part of Research Project of The New Source of Economic Growth Based on Blue and Green Economy funded by Organisasi Riset Tata Kelola Pemerintahan, Ekonomi, dan Kesejahteraan Masyarakat, Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN) [B-4252/III.12/HK.00/11/2022] 2022 with the title “Maximizing The Potential of Sustainable Seagrass Tourism in Indonesia”; Peserta Program Pengembangan Kapasitas Sumber Daya Manusia Melalui Mobilitas Periset BRIN, Postdoctoral Programme [64/II/HK/2022]; BRIN Research Scheme DIPA OR KM BRIN. No: SP SP DIPA- 124.01.1.690501/2023 Dated 30 November 2022; Rumah Program Kebencanaan Batch 2-OR Kebumian & Maritim BRIN-2023.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.