Planning ecotourism based on GIS in Gowa South Sulawesi

Abstract

Abstract The main objective of this study is to identify and prioritize the potential ecotourism sites using Geographic Information System (GIS) in Distric Gowa South of Sulawesi. This study identifies the following factors as indicators of suitability within land ecosystems: landscape/naturalness, wildlife, topography, accessibility and community characteristics. The evaluating process for ecotourism site conducted based on eight chosen criteria including land use/cover, reservation/protection, species diversity, elevation, slope, proximity to cultural sites, distance from roads and settlement size. Those factors were selected according to the professional expert’s opinions. GIS plays a crucial role in ecotourism planning. Aplication GIS –Base proposed was useful to identify ecotourism sites by linking the criteria deemed important with the actual resources of Gowa District.