Community structure and potential of mangrove ecotourism on Harapan Islandand Bira Island of KepulauanSeribu

Abstract

Harapan Island and Bira Island are part of the Thousand Islands which are visited by many tourists. Unfortunately, the mangrove ecosystem in the region has not been utilized as a tourist destination especially compared to other ecosystems. Several requirements are needed to determine ecotourism areas, including environmental conditions and community perceptions, as well as land suitability. This research aims to identify the potential of mangrove resources based on community structure of mangrove vegetation, and the potential of mangrove ecotourism base on perceptions of the community towards the existence of mangroves and their potential as ecotourism areas on both Islands, and conformance index as ecotourism site. This study used descriptive method with direct observation and survey technique to observe mangrove vegetation, to determine perceptions of mangrove ecotourism using an instrument in the form of a questionnaire intended for the communities and visitors. The data was analyzed using quantitative descriptive analysis. The research identified 4 mangrove species in Harapan Island, namely Rhizoporastylosa, Lumnitzeraracemosa, Soneratia sp, and Brugueira sp, while in Bira Island, one species was identified as Rhizophora stylosa. The highest abundance was represented by Rhizoporastylosa, the abundance on Bira Island and Harapan Island are 1.74ind/m2, 0.15 ind/m2 respectively. Mangrove diversity in the two islands is low criteria, the dominance index indicates there is a species that dominates. The aspect of perception showed that community knowledge about the condition of mangrove and community participation was in very good criteria, while knowledge about the role of mangroves and the perception of the sustainability of mangroves for nature tourism indicated good interpretation. The conformance index value of Harapan and Bira Island was 62%, indicating the potential as ecotourism sites.