The Influence of Urbanization on Gayo-Lut Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity conservation through Culinary-Based Ecotourism

Abstract

The wealth of natural resources can be utilized to support food security through the production of food, increased income access, and safe-sanitary food preparation. The utilization of food plants is reflected in the community’s traditional knowledge of how they were used, protected, and preserved for a long time as a cultural custom in traditional cuisines. One of the great challenges to sustaining the sustainability of food plants is urbanization and modern lifestyle. Several studies have found that the process of becoming more urban has a negative impact on natural resource knowledge and that urbanization is related to the loss of the ability to recognize and understand plants. A strategy that can be used to enhance biodiversity and sustain ecosystem service is the combination of traditional knowledge and culture which can be seen in their traditional cuisines. Unfortunately, there is more traditional knowledge that is passed down in oral form through stories, experiences, and language than stored documentation. This could potentially lead to knowledge loss if people start not knowing their food plants because of the difficulty in adapting to food plants in new places. This research was conducted on the Gayo Lut community in two locations to see the effect of urbanization. The first group was in Mude Nosar Village, Central Aceh in November-December 2020, and the second group was in the Gayo community, Musara Gayo in the Jakarta-Bogor-Depok-Tangerang-Bekasi (Jabodetabek) area in March-April 2021. The next research respondents grouped more specifically, namely the elder group (>59 years in Mude Nosar Village; 16 respondents), rural (<60 years in Mude Nosar Village; 16 respondents), and urban (<60 years in Jabodetabek; 16 respondents). Data collection was carried out in 2 stages. The first stage is an interview using the freelisting technique, and a semi-structured interview to identify the traditional knowledge of food plants, traditional cuisines, and details regarding their utilization. Then the second stage is a field study that aims to map the coordinate distribution of food plants and tourist objects. Freelisting data were analyzed using Anthropac and the Jaccard index to see species diversity and the effect of urbanization. Then analyzed descriptively. The coordinate data for the distribution of food plants and the distribution of tourist objects that have been obtained are mapped using ArcMap to see their distribution. The results of the study found that urbanization affected the community's traditional knowledge. This can be seen from the differences in the types of important food plants between each group due to adaptation to changing times and location of residence. But on the other hand, urbanization also offers a modification of traditional knowledge in traditional cooking which still maintains the authenticity of the distinctive taste of dishes. The adaptation is done with add up or substitution ingredients which easier to find in Jabodetabek. In three communities studied, recorded 188 species (elder 120 species; rural 116 species; urban 124 Species) of food plants are used by the community. For elder and rural groups, lasun ilang (Allium cepa) being the most important species because it is a major economic source besides coffee and rice. Then, there is Jepang (Sicyos edulis) because it is easy to obtain and can be used in various types of cooking. Meanwhile for the urban is Gadong (Manihot esculanta) because it is easy to find. Another significant change is in the way it is earned. The Elder community is still looking for natural food plants, while the Rural group has been dominated by buying them at the market, and the urban group gets food plants by buying them at the market. Limited land area in urban areas causes people to not be able to carry out agricultural activities. Furthermore, there were 224 variations of traditional dishes found using food plants as the ingredients. This shows that the conservation of the biodiversity can be done by utilizing the Gayo Lut Traditional cuisine in the culinary-based ecotourism. Involving tourists in the process of preparing dishes will provide education on how the Gayo Lut people utilize nature and produce the dishes. The existence of urban communities in this study shows that urbanization does not always have bad impact. Urban communities can name more species and dishes and shows that urban is still able to maintain comprehensive traditional knowledge. The existence of the Gayo Lut community in the urban area can contribute to conserve the biodiversity in Mude Nosar Village. The urban can be an extension media in educating public how biodiversity conservation in Mude Nosar Village is implemented.