News

Hirmas Fuady Putra S.Si., M.Si., a member of Plant Resources and Ecology Division, Department of Biology was invited as a speaker in the Technical Guidance for Sustainable Tourism Management in the Geopark Belitong held by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism (15/05). This activity is part of the visit preparation of the Geopark Belitung by UNESCO in 2019.
On this occasion, Hirmas delivered a talk on Sustainable Tourism Management based on the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) criteria. The man who is also the Chair of the Monitoring Center of Tanjung Kelayang's Sustainable Tourism Observatory said that Belitong Geopark is a real manifestation of Sustainable Tourism because it has the potential to meet 41 criteria and 105 GSTC indicators.
"To reach the manifestation, all geosites in Geopark Belitung must be able to communicate with each other and work together to fulfill the 4 pillars of Sustainable Tourism, namely Sustainable Destination Governance, Economic Benefits, Cultural Benefits, and Environmental Conservation," he said.
"In addition, Bukit Peramun geosite which is also one of field laboratory of the Department of Biology have even applied the GSTC criteria for the past few years," he added.
Furthermore, since 2018, the Department of Biology and the Government of Belitung Regency have been collaborated in a special framework to transform Belitong Geopark as a UNESCO Global Geopark (UGG). This collaboration is one of the roles of the Department of Biology in biodiversity management activities for the prosperity of the Indonesian people, especially through sustainable tourism activities.