Local wisdom for mangrove conservation and ecotourism: Case study from Wringinputih, Muncar, Banyuwangi

Abstract

In some areas of Indonesia, local wisdom of coastal communities becomes an important factor and even determines the conservation initiative and mangrove-based ecotourism destinations; Wringinputih, Muncar, Banyuwangi, for instance. As a matter of fact, shrimp farms in this particular area were developed through reclamation in the 1980’s, and in consequence, many of the mangrove forest areas performed distinctly different functions. However, shrimp farming did not last long here as most shrimps suffered to death from white spot syndrome at the beginning of 1990’s. Thus, as most businessmen went bankrupt, they just left the shrimp farms and let the environmental conditions not taken a good care. Hence, in 1997 a number of community leaders of Wringinputih expressed their concerns and initiated local wisdom in the form of mangrove forests in favor of ex-location of shrimp farms. The research data were collected through descriptive qualitative method and in-depth interviews with some community leaders, the management of mangrove forests, selected individuals to obtain valuable information on local wisdoms related to the conservation of mangrove forests and the making of ecotourism destination. As a result, Wringinputih village community eventually restored mangrove forests in favor of the shrimp farms, and this particular success can apparently be applied elsewhere. Hence, with mangrove forest restoration, other natural resources grow exponentially and many mangrove-based tourism resorts are developed. The coastal communities can accelerate through many activities and job vacancies that they eventually can improve their social welfare.

People and Mangroves: Biocultural Utilization of Mangrove Forest Ecosystem in Southeast Asia

“…These pro table mangrove-associated resources include timbers, sh, shell sh (i.e., clams, snails, crabs, shrimps), rewood and charcoal, and various non-timber building materials such as the thatched nipa for walls and roo ng (Feurer et al, 2018;Gonzales et al, 2017;Mojiol et al, 2016;Rosaliza, 2018;Sahputra et al, 2019;Singgalen, 2020). Ecotourism is also an important livelihood source for many communities particularly in Indonesia (Purwowibowo et al, 2020;Putri et al, 2014;Singgalen, 2020), Thailand (Vorasiha, 2018), and Malaysia (Hattam et al, 2021). Other uncommon yet, important utilization of mangroves includes their medicinal use for various diseases (Feurer et al, 2018;Mojiol et al, 2016;Oratai Neamsuvan, 2012;Tamalene et al, 2021), and as a source of sh poison and shing material (Alimbon & Manseguiao, 2021;Ono & Suzuki, 2013).…”

Policy Strategy for Sustainable Management of Mangrove Ecotourism in Siak Regency, Riau Province, Indonesia

“…Indonesia has the potential to develop mangrove ecotourism [4][5][6][7]. Ecotourism development is one of the strategies to improve the economy and employment of local communities [8][9][10][11]. The highest portion of mangroves in Indonesia is in Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Papua [12,13].…”