Conservation of Rafflesia zollingeriana Koord in Meru Betiri National Park, East Java.

Abstract

Rafflesia zollingeriana Koord is a protected rare plants in Indonesia, according to Government Regulation No. 7 of 1999. This species is endemic to Meru Betiri National Park. However, reality shows that R. zollingeriana population in the national park was declining. Because there are a lot of scientific information that has not known yet, R. zollingeriana population must been saved, more effective and efficient conservation must be done immediately. To be able to formulate effective and efficient conservation strategies, information about: the condition of the population; utilization; stakeholders involved; strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of R. zollingeriana conservation; must be known. Therefore, the study aimed to analyze the population condition R. zollingeriana in the national park; analyze the utilization of R. zollingeriana; identify the stakeholders involved in R. zollingeriana’s conservation; analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of R. zollingeriana conservation at this time; recommended some strategies and conservation programs of R. zollingeriana. The study was conducted in the Meru Betiri National Park and five villages around it (Wonoasri, Curahnongko, Andongrejo, Sanenrejo and Sarongan). Research conducted over the 15 months, from May 2012 to July 2013. Data were collected by interviews, surveys, observations, and literature study. Data that collected were: data of R. zollingeriana population condition, data of the utilization and data about management of R. zollingeriana conservation. Those data analyzed descriptively, quantitatively and qualitatively. Observations were done in 19 plots and there were 26 sub populations of R. zollingeriana that have been found. The mortality rate of knobs was high enough and blooming success rate for knobs was low, so propagation researches are need to be done. From 19 plots, 9 of them are recently documented populations. R. zollingeriana was utilized for herbal medicine (through knobs collecting and trading) and for tourism. The impact of collecting and trading activity R. zollingeriana were increasing income and welfare of the culprit but decline and extinction of Rafflesia in the other hand. Another forms of utilization was ecotourism of R. zollingeriana. Ecotourism has not developed yet and has not given a significant economical benefit for people. There were 12 stakeholder involved in protection, 9 stakeholder involved in preservation dan 20 stakeholder involved in utilization. Protection stakeholder consist of 2 key player stakeholder, 1 context setter, 1 subject dan 8 crowd. Preservation stakeholder consist of 3 key player stakeholder, 1 context setter, 1 subject dan 4 crowd. Utilization stakeholder consist of 7 key player stakeholder, 4 subject dan 9 crowd stakeholder. SWOT analysis indicated that the value of internal and external factors were positive. The internal factors for conservation of R. zollingeriana have greater value than the external factors. Value for strength was 1.8, weakness was 0.95, opportunity was 1.6 dan threat was 0.6. Recommended strategies was aggressive strategy: maximize the strengths so that the opportunities can be exploited as much as possible. So cooperation with and among the key player stakeholder, communication with context setter stakeholder and empowerment of subject stakeholder must be enhanced. The proposed program were stakeholder empowerment, stakeholder base of R. zollingeriana ecotourism and zonation based of conservation management.