Fisheries-based ecotourism development in Singkil swamp wildlife reserve

Abstract

The Singkil Swamp Wildlife Reserve (SSWR) is the wildlife sanctuary located in Aceh Singkil Regency, Aceh Province. Being a peatland area, SSWR’s primary duties include maintaining biodiversity, safeguarding and balancing water systems, and storing carbon stores to maintain ecosystem function. In developing SSWR as a tourist area, it is important to follow management procedures. Tourism products should be oriented towards environmental preservation and community welfare. Analyzing the waters resources’ compatibility and the SSWR area’s carrying capacity for ecotourism development is the goal of this study. The research involved field and laboratory observation conducted monthly from April to October 2021 in the SSWR utilisation area at 5 stations, including the Alas-Singkil River and the Lae-Treup River. The study found that fishing tourism activities are very suitable at stations III, IV, and V, suitable at station I, and not suitable at station II. However, river track tourism was found to be appropriate at each station. The regional carrying capacity value for fishing tourism is 1310 people/day for fishing ecotourism and 786 for river track ecotourism. The management of fishery-based ecotourism must maintain the sustainability of fish resources.