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© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Ecotourism is widely promoted as a sustainable tourism model that harmonizes environmental conservation with local community benefits. Indonesia, celebrated for its extraordinary biodiversity, has long adopted ecotourism as a strategy to safeguard its natural ecosystems. Despite this, evidence of its environmental impact at a national scale remains sparse. This study bridges this gap by examining forest loss trends from 2014 to 2023 across ecotourism sites in Indonesia to assess whether ecotourism contributes to forest protection. The analysis reveals that most ecotourism sites exhibit no significant reduction in forest loss, with some even experiencing accelerated deforestation. While a few sites demonstrate positive outcomes, these successes are rare and insufficient to indicate widespread environmental benefits. The findings call into question whether the ecotourism model, in its current form, is an effective conservation strategy. A reevaluation of its use is imperative, along with critical reflection on whether ecotourism is genuinely suited to addressing Indonesia’s deforestation challenges. This study underscores the need for alternative or complementary approaches to conservation, as well as a robust examination of ecotourism’s limitations and potential within the broader context of sustainable development.

Details

Title
Does Ecotourism Really Benefit the Environment? A Trend Analysis of Forest Cover Loss in Indonesia
Author
Sisriany Saraswati; Furuya Katsunori  VIAFID ORCID Logo 
First page
1237
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
2073445X
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3223923629
Copyright
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.