Judul: Ecotourism Development of the Javan Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus bartelsi) in Gunung Ciremai National Park
Abstrak: Indonesia is a country with high biodiversity (megadiversity) with the 4th number of visits in the Southeast Asia (ASEAN) region, opening opportunities for the development of nature tourism packages such as wildlife tourism to see the unique flora and fauna in Indonesia as well as the beauty of the landscape that provides experiences different for visitors. The javan hawk-eagle (Nisaetus bartelsi) in Gunung Ciremai National Park has the potential to be developed into ecotourism because of its rare status in nature and is one of the birds that are synonymous with the national symbol of the Republic of Indonesia, namely Garuda. The birdwatching program had previously existed in Gunung Ciremai National Park but had yet to develop. Therefore, in developing the javan hawk-eagle ecotourism must apply ecotourism principles, namely the principles of conservation, education, economy, tourism, and community empowerment. This study aims to identify and analyze the habitat conditions and behavior of the javan hawk-eagle as a tourist attraction, identify and analyze visitor demand for javan hawk-eagle ecotourism, then develop a javan hawk-eagle ecotourism program and create a javan hawk-eagle ecotourism strategy. This research was conducted in Gunung Ciremai National Park. Data collection was carried out from March to May 2021. The method used to view the habitat of the javan hawk-eagle was by taking an inventory of trees using the grid line method, then analyzing vegetation characteristics, habitat function, and division of the canopy space. The behavior of the javan hawk-eagle was taken using the focal animal sampling method, then analyzed using the daily behavior analysis of the javan hawk-eagle. Visitor demand was measured using a closed questionnaire to 348 visitors regarding perceptions, motivations, and preferences for javan hawk-eagle ecotourism. The results showed that the primary habitat of the javan hawk-eagle was a natural forest dominated by Benda trees (Artocarpus elasticus) with an IVI value of 78.85%. In addition, the javan hawk-eagle also used pine plantations and shrubs for nesting and hunting areas. The types of javan hawk-eagle feed that are often found include; Surili (Presbytis comata), Javan Lutung (Trachypithecus auratus), Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis), Squirrels (Callosciurus notatus), Green Lizards (Desia olivacea), River Checkakak (Todirhamphus chloris), Turtledoves (Spilopelia chinensis), Finches (Pycnonotus aurigaster) and Partridge (Gallus gallus). The javan hawk-eagle were found nesting in pine trees (Pinus merkusii) in the Bantar Agung location and forest kedondong trees (Spondias pinnatan) in the Bukit Seribu Bintang location. The selected tree is an emergent tree with a not-too-dense crown. The javan hawk-eagle uses the A1 canopy for perching and stalking prey and the AII for nesting and resting. The highest daily activity of the javan hawk-eagle based on the length of time the encounter was perched (71.40%) in natural forest and (59.22%) in plantation forest. Meanwhile, based on the frequency of encounters, the most frequently found activities were flying as many as five encounters. The observed flight activities of the javan hawk-eagle are soaring and gliding which occur when the weather conditions are sunny. The engaging social interaction activities of javan hawk-eagle are during the breeding and nesting season, when visitors can see them mating,
Keyword: ecotourism, javan hawk-eagle, Gunung Ciremai National Park