Pemanfaatan Ekowisata Gajah Sumatra (Elephas Maximus Sumatranus) pada Masyarakat Karo di Tangkahan, Langkat, Sumatera Utara

Abstract

Community participation is one of the success factors in community-based ecotourism. Tangkahan ecotourism destination has become a leading tourism destination because this destination presents the sumatran elephants as an ecotourism object. This study was conducted to determine the benefits of sumatran elephants for the karonese at Tangkahan, to know the karonese’s knowledge about the role of sumatran elephants for ecotourism, to know what karonese’s knowledge about the status of sumatran elephant conservation, to gain the economic benefits of sumatran elephant ecotourism, as well as to know the perceptions of the karonese of the ecotourism at Tangkahan. This research was conducted from May to August 2023, located in 2 hamlets, which were Kwala Gemoh Hamlet and Kwala Buluh Hamlet. The data collection on the field used was the method of direct interview techniques and was supported by questionnaires. The results showed that the utilization of elephant ecotourism activities increased the community income sources was 53.7% generally as dominant income, the percentage level of karonese knowledge about the role of sumatran elephants of the ecotourism was 62.96% categorized as incline to know,however, the percentage level of knowledge of the karonese community about the status of the sumatran elephant conservation in Indonesia was 49.99% categorized as barely to know. The sumatran elephants provide benefits to the karonese as ecotourism, economic improvement, forest ecology adjacent to the hamlet, and children education at school, the degradation of knowledge of the use of sumatran elephants as ecotourism at the Tangkahan community is highest to the age group C (>50 years) against of the age A (20-35 years) as much as 50%.