PARTISIPASI MASYARAKAT DALAM PELESTARIAN DAN PENGEMBANGAN EKOWISATA BALE MANGROVE

Abstract

This article examines community participation in the conservation of the mangrove environment and the development of community-based ecotourism at Bale Mangrove in Poton Bako Hamlet, Jerowaru Village, East Lombok. The reconstruction is based primarily on the 2024 source manuscript, which describes the research as qualitative descriptive and identifies observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation as the planned data collection techniques. The source document does not contain a separate results chapter; therefore, this article does not invent interview quotations or numerical findings. Instead, it organizes the empirical descriptions already present in the manuscript and connects them with relevant recent studies. The reconstructed analysis highlights five interrelated dimensions: youth-led initiation, community involvement in management, environmental conservation, local economic benefits, and education and product development. The manuscript describes Bale Mangrove as emerging from local youth initiatives and subsequently involving surrounding residents through parking services, small-scale trading, management activities, conservation efforts, and the promotion of local products. These practices indicate that community-based ecotourism can function as a social mechanism that links environmental protection with livelihood opportunities. Nevertheless, the sustainability of the destination depends on continuous participation, institutional coordination, environmental education, monitoring, and equitable distribution of benefits. The article concludes that community participation should be treated not merely as labor support but as a governance mechanism in planning, implementation, evaluation, and benefit sharing.