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ECOTOURISM on the rise is not yet fully understood by everyone. The Project Coordinator of Hutan Itu Indonesia (forest is Indonesia), Diyah Deviyanti, shared her experience when traveling to the ecotourism destination Tangkahan, which is included in the Gunung Leuser National Park.
Diyah really felt peace in the middle of the forest whose authenticity was still very well preserved, walking along a small path, occasionally getting hit by dangling tree branches. She enjoys a waterfall where the water really falls naturally, the surroundings are still natural, not intentionally added a place to take pictures.
“That’s the picture of a real ecotourism destination. The manager does not change the function of the forest as a source of oxygen and a source of life for the surrounding community. There is no construction of facilities that change or damage the ecosystem,” said Diyah, quoted from her official broadcast.
“No need to be afraid, a place like this is very safe, because we are accompanied by a guide. Moreover, before the trip we are given information about what we can and cannot do,” Diyah noted.
Diyah said the misconceptions about ecotourism that you should know:
1. Nature tourism is definitely ecotourism
Many may think, traveling to parks, botanical gardens, waterfalls, forests, especially national parks, is definitely an ecotourism concept. Diyah explained, it is true that ecotourism is a trip to the open.
“But, ecotourism keeps the message that tourists also want to gain knowledge about nature, about culture, as well as about the local community. One thing is certain, our activities as tourists, as well as the activities carried out by the managers of tourist attractions, do not damage nature. Even if it is a forest or a national park, if its management disrupts the ecosystem, it cannot be called an ecotourism destination,” she pointed out.
There is a fundamental thing that distinguishes ecotourism destinations and tourist attractions in general, namely supporting facilities. In public tourist attractions, even though they display natural beauty, there are usually various facilities to support the comfort of visitors. For example, toilets and places to eat. Diyah highlighted, when building these facilities, sometimes the managers forget to pay attention to the ecosystem.
“In ecotourism destinations, you will not find supporting facilities. Because, the purpose of ecotourism is to protect the naturalness of an environment, as well as to improve the welfare of the surrounding community. We can help their welfare by buying their products, such as forest honey, or using the services of local people as guides,” said Diyah.
2. Ecotourism is cheap
There is an assumption that traveling to nature means that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to stay at a hotel with good facilities or to eat at a restaurant. So, it will definitely cost less than a trip to the city.
Apparently, this assumption is not true. Ecotourism tends to cost a lot of money. Diyah gave an example, if a tourist place is opened on a large scale, the entrance ticket will be cheaper. Meanwhile, in ecotourism destinations where the number of visitors is limited, the costs will be higher.
“It is important to limit visitors so that nature is not damaged. As a result, the management’s income is also affected. These funds are not only for managers, but are distributed to various aspects. Most of it is for site maintenance, some is also for community empowerment cash.”
The question is, if the nature is left to be natural and the place does not have facilities that need to be cared for, why does it need a lot of money for maintenance? Diyah explained, precisely because it is a natural place, many people can just take something from the forest. For example, take wood. In order for something like that to not happen, there needs to be a ranger or ranger.
There are also those who are tasked with clearing the path, for example when a tree falls due to the wind. They will cut tree trunks, so that the road can be passed by residents.
Diyah guarantees, even though it is quite expensive, the experience of going to an ecotourism concept area will definitely be worth the cost.
3. Activities at ecotourism sites are no different from general tourist attractions
If you both go to the forest, even if one applies the concept of ecotourism and the other doesn’t, it means that the activities that can be done will be the same. Not so, said Diyah. In ecotourism concept tourist sites, you can also do many fun activities.
Diyah said that when she went to Tangkahan, she found a very natural forest. Nothing is made of it. There was a small dirt path, unpaved with rocks. In the middle of the forest he met a pig and a monkey. At the end of the forest there is a river.
“We returned to the village by sitting on tires, not speedboats. So, there are no activities that destroy nature,” she noted.
For visitors, there are environmentally friendly houses equipped with toilets. Visitors can choose to stay in a building that has been provided by residents, or a homestay in a resident’s house.
“Staying in the forest is also possible. There is an area that can be used to build a tent, without clearing land. In the river area there is often a rocky area that can be used as a camping location. Or, there are some spacious areas under the trees,” she elaborated.
4. Eco-friendly traveling is the same as ecotourism
Because they both have the word “eco”, and both contain elements of tourism, many people think that eco-friendly traveling is the same as ecotourism. Actually, not the same. Eco-friendly traveling is more about a sense of concern or responsibility as a traveler towards the environment.
However, Diyah saw that there was a common thread between the two, namely they both cared about nature. Only, it’s just a different way. He gave an example of eco-friendly traveling behavior.
When we go by plane, that means there is a sizeable carbon footprint. That is, there is carbon dioxide from the plane that is produced and has the potential to cause pollution. If you understand about eco-friendly traveling, we have a responsibility to “replace” the carbon release. One way is to adopt a tree that is quite large and has produced a lot of oxygen.
Diyah also emphasized that eco-friendly traveling behavior must be applied when in ecotourism locations.
“Don’t let a location that has been properly guarded turn out to be littered with garbage. Do not engraving and writing carelessly. Indeed, in ecotourism destinations there are a lot of very good things. So good, not a few are tempted to carve a name. It’s useless to come to an ecotourism destination, if it ends up damaging too. We should have come to make the place beautiful and sustainable,” she concluded. [antaranews/photo special]
