Bringing birdwatching closer to home: Developing urban birdwatching as a mean of sustainable tourism

Abstract

Sustainable tourism concept encourages tourist to be as efficient as possible while doing tourism. Birdwatching in urban landscapes is a suitable sustainable tourism activity that can be a learning medium and enhance public's awareness towards wildlife, with the advantage in accessibility, location, travel cost, and time. This study aims to design birdwatching activities in urban green open spaces based on bird community and visitors' desire. This study took place at Tebet Eco Park, DKI Jakarta and Taman Hutan Kota Patriot, Bekasi City on January - March 2023. Direct observation was conducted for bird community data. As many as 50 questionnaires were given to visitors on each site. There were 12 bird species encountered at TEP Jakarta and 16 bird species encountered at THKP Bekasi. The birds are frugivores, granivores, insectivores, nectarivores, and combination of them. Most respondents were interested in birdwatching even though never heard of it. Birds that have vibrant colors and prominent features attracted respondents more. On-site managements are supportive and open to collaborations to make urban birdwatching happens. There are two birdwatching trails designed for each site, one is intended for adult and young birdwatchers and the other is for elderly and family with children.