Mapping the Problems, Stakeholders, and Potential Solutions of Solid Waste Management in a New-Emergence Tourist Area: A Case Study in Nglanggeran, Gunungsewu UNESCO Global Geopark

Abstract

After being selected as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2015 and promoted as an ecotourism area, Nglanggeran Village in the Gunungsewu area can attract as many as 300,000 visitors/year. Although tourism activities on one side bring economic benefits, on the other side they raise environmental problems. One of the problems is the increase of solid waste volume generated by the visitors. This study aimed to map the problems and investigate the stakeholders in current solid waste management in Nglanggeran. An ethnographic approach was applied in this research. Primary data was collected during the field works through participant observation, interviews with key actors, and Focus Group Discussions with stakeholders. The result reveals that the relevant stakeholders in solid waste management in this area are: the community-based tourism organization, women in the households/homestays, informal waste collectors (scavengers), and informal waste traders. The absence of formal waste management in the area and the missing link to the existing solid waste infrastructure become the main problems in this area. Integrating informal stakeholders (waste collectors and traders) as well as educating the visitors to reduce their waste become survival strategies in the short-term.