Nilai dan Manfaat Ekonomi Pengembangan Taman Wisata Alam bagi Konservasi dan Masyarakat Sekitar (Studi Kasus Taman Wisata Alam Rimbo Panti, Kabupaten Pasaman, Sumatera Barat)

Abstract

Rimbo Panti Natural Tourism Park which located in the Pasaman District (West Sumatera) is a recreational area specifically developed as a buffer zone for the Rimbo Panti Natural Reserve. The natural recreational park have several recreational attractions but most of them are openly accessible. The open access nature of the attraction has resulted in an under-valuation of the recreational natural resources. It also has a potential for attracting large number of visitors beyond carrying capacity of the park, which in turn will put the nature reserve in danger. Therefore, it is important to examine the economic value and benefit of the natural tourism park for the conservation of the natural reserve and the surrounding communities. The study employs the Travel Cost Method (TCM) and regression analysis to reality factors influencing demand for the Rimbo Panti Natural Tourism Park. Recreational segmentation and pricing according to visitor’s Willingness To Pay (WTP) are used to spread visitor’s concentration and raise conservation fund. The study find that the recreational economic value was IDR 7.02 billion. Factors that significantly influence the demand for Rimbo Panti Natural Tourism Park, ie: the distance of visitor’s home to the park, the length of visitor’s knowledge of the park, number of dependants, and age. The economic benefits of the park for surrounding communities include providing job opportunities and source of additional income. Guest house owner experienced the most significant incremental increase of their income, from IDR 4.5 million to IDR 8 million per month. Revenue from recreational visitors was the main income for the swimming pool keeper. The conservational benefit of market segmentation was the reduction in number of visitors implying a decreasing threat to sustainability of the nature reserve. The reduction in the number of visitors, in fact will increase the income of the recreational park. It is estimated that the introduction of the price segmentation would increase in the income of the recreational park from IDR 88.2 million to IDR 283.3 million per year, which can be allocated for financing the conservation of the natural reserve