Battang Residents Urged to Participate Actively, Not Just Watch Ecotourism

Image: article cover, from Asjulia et al. (2026), Jurnal Wasian, licensed CC BY 4.0.

A research team from Universitas Islam Makassar studied the Battang Forest area in Battang Barat Sub-district, Wara Barat District, Palopo City, South Sulawesi. The study, published in Jurnal Wasian, involved 280 respondents from forest farmer groups, local tourism operators, traditional leaders, and residents living near the forest. Its aim was to examine the role of ecotourism, conservation awareness, and social participation in preserving the forest and ecological stability in an area that has long faced pressure from land-use change and illegal logging.

The results show that conservation awareness and social participation have a significant effect on forest preservation. In contrast, ecotourism strategies do not have a significant effect on forest preservation. Nevertheless, all three factors influence ecological stability, with social participation being the most dominant factor. According to the study, the success of ecotourism depends heavily on social support and conservation values that encourage sustainable, rather than exploitative, use of resources.

For forest-edge communities, these findings confirm that active involvement in planning, implementing, and monitoring conservation activities is more decisive than merely building tourist attractions. The Battang area itself is a source of livelihood for the Ba'tan indigenous community and has been designated as Battang Sipatuo Tourism Village since 2021. The study notes that ecotourism development in the area is still constrained by limited institutional capacity and low levels of active community participation.

Source and how to cite

This story is based on the research article Synergy of Ecotourism Strategy, Conservation Awareness, and Social Participation in Supporting Forest Conservation and Ecological Stability by Asjulia Asjulia, Herawaty Herawaty, Dian Mitrnawaty Sultan, Putri Alifiah and asjulia asjulia, published in Jurnal Wasian Vol. 13 No. 01 (2026). The full article is free to read on the Jurnal Wasian website.

Cite the original article (APA 7):

Asjulia, A., Herawaty, H., Sultan, D. M., Alifiah, P., & asjulia, A. (2026). Synergy of Ecotourism Strategy, Conservation Awareness, and Social Participation in Supporting Forest Conservation and Ecological Stability. Jurnal Wasian, 13(01), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.62142/3pfzrr19

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.