Year: 2025 | Month: November | Volume: 12 | Issue: 11 | Pages: 210-219
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20251124
Analysis of Ecotourism Potential in the Pentadu Timur Mangrove Forest, Gorontalo Province: A Land Suitability Assessment
Sunarty Suly Eraku1, Mohamad Karmin Baruadi2, Rusiyah3, Pratiwi Aladjia4
1,3,4Department of Earth Science and Technology, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Gorontalo, Indonesia.
2Department of Indonesian Language and Literature, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Gorontalo, Indonesia.
Corresponding Author: Sunarty Suly Eraku
ABSTRACT
The government's policy on utilizing mangrove forests as ecotourism areas is a strategic step to enhance ecologically and economically community welfare. Pentadu Timur village boasts a unique natural wealth of mangrove forests, featuring distinctive flora and fauna and fertile agriculture with social structures capable of attracting tourists and improving community welfare. Therefore, the potential of the Pentadu Timur mangrove forest needs to be analyzed to map it as an ecotourism area for the sustainability of the mangrove ecosystem. This study aims to analyze the ecotourism potential of the Pentadu Timur mangrove forest based on land suitability. A descriptive method was used, with data collected through direct field observation and documentation. Parameters measured included mangrove thickness, species, density, biota objects, tides, uniqueness, area characteristics, accessibility, and infrastructure. Data analysis was conducted using scoring and land suitability analysis with the Tourism Suitability Index (IKW) formula. Results showed that the dominant mangrove species are Rhizophora apiculata, followed by Rhizophora mucronata and Ceriops decandra, with Ceriops tagal being the least prevalent. Each point had boards indicating the mangrove species, highlighting the area's potential as an ecotourism site to support biodiversity knowledge and conservation. The Pentadu Timur mangrove forest is home to various biota, both aquatic and terrestrial, including fish (Lethrinus lentjam, Lutjanidae, Pseudapocryptes elongatus), birds (Orthotomus ruficeps, Egretta garzetta), and crustaceans. The land suitability categories for the Pentadu Timur mangrove forest are very suitable (S1) at station I and suitable (S2) at stations II and III, as determined by the Tourism Suitability Index. This indicates that the Pentadu Timur mangrove forest is highly suitable for development as an ecotourism area, falling into both the Suitable and Very Suitable categories.
Keywords: Ecotourism, land suitability, mangrove forest
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