How Villagers Manage Mangrove Tourism in Balang Baru, Jeneponto

Image: article cover, from Rahim Sila et al. (2025), Jurnal Wasian, licensed CC BY 4.0.

A research team from Universitas Sulawesi Barat and Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar has set out ten steps to strengthen the management of mangrove forest tourism in Balang Baru Village, Tarowang District, Jeneponto Regency, South Sulawesi. The area, known as Mangrove Idaman, has been managed by the village since 2018 and is one of Jeneponto's distinctive tourist destinations. The findings were published in Jurnal Wasian in 2025.

Of the 20 hectares of mangrove forest in the village, around 2 hectares have been designated as a tourism zone. Local residents still depend on fishing for fish, prawns and crabs in the mangrove area, and on seaweed cultivation. However, the area was once degraded because part of the mangrove was converted into fish ponds. The researchers recorded ten management steps, including using zones outside the tourism area for rehabilitation, establishing a mangrove education park, creating an official tourism site, improving facilities and strengthening cooperation between stakeholders.

The researchers also highlighted weak coordination and limited outreach on management. The tourism area is sometimes used by outsiders without permission, and its popularity has declined because it struggles to compete with new destinations. According to the study, mangrove planting across around 10 hectares was carried out with BPDASHL Jeneberang Saddang in 2020, but without post-planting monitoring, so the results were limited. Community-based rehabilitation outside the tourism zone is therefore considered necessary. The dominant mangrove species at the site are Rhizophora mucronata and Avicennia marina.

Source and how to cite

This story is based on the research article Community-based Strategies for Optimising Mangrove Forest Tourism Management in Balang Baru Village, Jeneponto Regency by Sri Arfiani Rahim Sila, Andi Ridha Yayank, Hasanuddin Molo and Sri Arfiani Rahim Sila, published in Jurnal Wasian Vol. 12 No. 02 (2025). The full article is free to read on the Jurnal Wasian website.

Cite the original article (APA 7):

Rahim Sila, S. A., Yayank, A. R., Molo, H., & Rahim Sila, S. A. (2025). Community-based Strategies for Optimising Mangrove Forest Tourism Management in Balang Baru Village, Jeneponto Regency. Jurnal Wasian, 12(02), 63–68. https://doi.org/10.62142/45mbwp68

If you use these findings in coursework, a thesis or other writing, cite the original article above, not this news story. The original article is licensed CC BY 4.0.