Is agro-ecotourism approach a potential to support climate change mitigation?

Abstract

Abstract Indonesia is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse emission globally. The trigger of such contributions can be traced to Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF). The problem of deforestation is complex, involving social, economic and political sectors. On the other hand, a holistic approach has not been widely discussed and implemented. This paper attempts to review and aims at providing potential answer on how to manage the forest and its relations with people in order to combat forest destruction caused by people. We believed that managing such relationship is the key to maintain the sustainability of the forest while keeping its roles and sustainability. Literature review was employed to develop a problem framework, and to develop alternatives in bridging the relationships between forest and local community. Collecting relevant literatures using keywords such as “forest and climate change mitigation”, “agroforestry and climate change”, “ecotourism and climate change”, and “agroforestry and ecotourism”, 96 articles were found. Further, through matching the content and the research goals of the articles, 13 articles were selected for further content analysis. We proposed agro-ecotourism as the alternative answer that can be pursued to balance the relationship between forest and people, especially in putting forest as an important partner rather than an exploitable asset. Hence, agro-ecotourism may help to increase the awareness among local community on the critical roles of the forest in the long term to fight against climate changes.