Is ecotourism the right approach for Ujung Kulon?<\/p>\n
Earth Wire, the environmental division of Antara, and the
\nKonrad Adenauer Stiftung, a German foundation, orgazied a
\nworkshop on the environment for journalists and activists.
\nThe Jakarta Post reporter, Gedsiri Suhartono, took part in
\nthe workshop, held on Oct. 9-12, in Jakarta and Ujung Kulon
\nNational Park, West Java, and wrote the following stories.<\/p>\n
UJUNG KULON (JP): The pristine wilderness of the Ujung Kulon
\nNational Park faces deliberate environmental destruction as
\ntourism slowly creeps into the area.<\/p>\n
Mushrooming resorts, townhouses and condominiums on the way to
\nLabuan Port, which is one entry point to the national park, is
\none indication that city dwellers have their eyes on this area.<\/p>\n
The park's management is planning to attract more visitors to
\nenjoy the rustic forest, beautiful beaches and the variety of
\nwildlife.<\/p>\n
The dilemma now is whether the park should be further promoted
\nwhile bearing the consequence of inviting unavoidable
\nenvironmental damage, or stay as low profile as it is now.<\/p>\n
Until this century, before Ujung Kulon became a reserve and
\nthen a national park, the area was the hunting, fishing and
\ngathering grounds for the well-off.<\/p>\n
Nowadays, although people are still able to collect forest
\nproducts in the park's buffer zone, agriculture, hunting and
\nfishing activities inside the park are banned.<\/p>\n
One of the greatest challenges in the conservation of Ujung
\nKulon National Park will be to educate local communities living
\non the fringes of the park about the need for protecting the
\nforest and wildlife as well as gaining their support.<\/p>\n
In the villages around Ujung Kulon, several organizations such
\nas the World Wide Fund for Nature's Indonesia Program and the
\nIndonesian Ministry of Forestry's Directorate General of Forest
\nProtection and Nature Conservation run educational programs for
\nlocal residents to find alternative resources and incomes.<\/p>\n
Agoes Sriyatna, chief of the national park, said the only way
\nto delay the unavoidable destruction of the national park is by
\npreparing and improving the quality of human resources.<\/p>\n
\"What we have now is far from adequate,\" Agoes said, referring
\nto the 30 employees oversees in the vast park.<\/p>\n
Urban garbage floats southward along the coast, smothering
\nmarine life and washing up on Ujung Kulon's shores is another
\nproblem.<\/p>\n
There is also the poaching of marine life by fishermen, often
\nfrom distant regions, as well as the pressures and demands raised
\nby the tourist industry.<\/p>\n
Many feel that tourism is in general much more likely to have
\nnegative social and environmental impacts.<\/p>\n
Ecotourism, therefore, sounds exciting because the concept
\ncombines the pleasure of discovering and understanding
\nspectacular flora and fauna while making a combined effort to
\nprotect them from destruction.<\/p>\n
Ecotourism, in other words, incorporates both a strong
\ncommitment to nature and a sense of social responsibility.<\/p>\n
But not all agree.<\/p>\n
\"Come on, let's not deceive ourselves, we are just delaying
\nthe destruction, not preventing destruction from happening,\"
\nVincent Graichen, a visitor who seems concerned about the park's
\ncondition.<\/p>\n
Graichen was referring to pollution resulting from
\ntransporting people from one island to another by motorboat,
\nbeaten tracks left in the once unspoiled forests, not to mention
\nthe obvious piles of garbage around the park.<\/p>\n
The concept is a good one: an economic model that utilizes
\ntourism to support nature conservation. But do not be fooled by
\nthe lofty ideals because it could prove impractical and
\nunrealistic.<\/p>\n
\"When people do business, they think only of profit, and
\nphilosophical ideals often only become a means to achieve the
\nends,\" Anton Saksono, a fish exporter and importer who also
\noperates motorboats at the national park, said.<\/p>\n
A nature lover himself, Anton said he is fully aware of the
\nvarious threats facing the environment, but as a businessman he
\ncan only do his best while reaping benefits.<\/p>\n
\"Some told me that with the conscience I have, I should
\ncontinue doing business here because I am the least of the
\nevils,\" he said contemplatively.<\/p>\n
Responding to concerns about damage to Ujung Kulon, the
\ngovernment has declared that only 10 percent of the whole area
\ncan be utilized for tourist purposes.<\/p>\n
For example, only 10 percent of Peucang Island is used for
\ntourist facilities.<\/p>\n
Ethics<\/p>\n
A major complaint expressed by the park's management is
\nvisitors' lack of understanding or disregard of the right ethical
\nstandard when entering the park.<\/p>\n
The rare chance to encounter rhinoceros at the park, for
\nexample, is exacerbated by visitors' ignorance of acceptable
\nwildlife behavior.<\/p>\n
\"To truly be one with nature and observe it, one needs to be
\nabsolutely silent and simply enjoy the wonders of nature instead
\nof shouting in awe and disrupting the forest's harmony,\" Agoes
\nsaid, referring to the clamorous chatter he often has to endure
\nwhen accompanying visitors on nature walks.<\/p>\n
Many city dwellers, he added, often appear to have a
\nsuperficial interest in the national park, and therefore do not
\nget the most out of their visit.<\/p>\n
Arief Zulpermana, a tour manager, told The Jakarta Post that
\nin general, local visitors' knowledge about nature and the proper
\nethics observed when in the national park fall far short of
\nforeigners'.<\/p>\n
\"Unfortunately, our local visitors are often ignorant about
\nthe wildlife, not educating themselves enough before they visit,\"
\nArief said.<\/p>\n
According to Arief, foreign tourists seem to better prepared
\nthemselves, by reading, for instance, and arrive with the
\nintention of learning and enjoying their visit.<\/p>\n
\"I am not sure if this is the right way to say it. But for
\nlack of better words, foreign visitors seem to be more
\nprofessional in their visit compared to local people,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Visitors' shortcomings, however, fail to dissuade park's staff
\nfrom welcoming and entertaining the flow of visitors.<\/p>\n
\"We very much enjoy their presence and the human exchanges
\nthat happen. After all, humans are part of nature and we want
\noutsiders to know about the work and the pleasure one can derive
\nfrom the national park,\" Arief said.<\/p>\n
Based on his observation of the many locals who have visited
\nthe park, Agoes draws the conclusion that many Indonesians cannot
\nyet enjoy nature for what it is. They have only reached the level
\nof relishing luxuries, he said.<\/p>\n
Agoes said as an example that locals request air-conditioned
\nrooms, while foreigners enjoy breathing in the sea breeze and
\nlistening the sound of the waves.<\/p>\n
A polished image of the park's management and human resources
\nis needed to handle the difficult task of nature preservation and
\ntourism, Agoes said.<\/p>\n
\"We are therefore preparing our human resources, improving
\ntheir skills to enable them to handle the flock of visitors in
\nthe park,\" he said.<\/p>\n
But the park management also needs to educate its staff. Agoes
\nadmitted that even some employees need to learn more about the
\nenvironment. During one of our walks in the forest, he was
\ndumbfounded when the group discovered the remains of a campfire
\napparently used by a park worker for warmth at night.<\/p>\n
National parks serve at least three functions: to preserve and
\nprotect several species from extinction without neglecting the
\nroles of local residents who live around the national park.<\/p>\n
Every aspect to raise consciousness about the importance of
\nnational parks should involve not only the park management and
\nits staff, but also local people and visitors. There is no
\nguarantee that the environment will be secured if ecotourism is
\npromoted, but at least it might delay the destruction.<\/p>",
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