Kajian Tingkat Bahaya Erosi Untuk Arahan Konservasi Tanah Pada Berbagai Tipe Penggunaan Lahan Di Kecamatan Merdeka Kabupaten Karo

Abstrak Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui tingkat erosi guna mendapatkan acuan konservasi tanah pada berbagai tipe penggunaan lahan di Kecamatan Merdeka. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode survei analisis prediksi erosi yang dilakukan dengan metode USLE. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa laju erosi tertinggi terdapat pada penggunaan lahan tegalan yaitu sebesar 2.959,018 ton/ha/tahun, sedangkan erosi terendah terdapat pada penggunaan lahan permukiman yaitu sebesar 29,810 ton/ha/tahun. Erosi terbolehkan tertinggi dan terendah terdapat pada penggunaan lahan semak belukar yaitu masing – masing sebesar 36,96 ton/ha/tahun dan 6,81 ton/ha/tahun. Indeks bahaya erosi tertinggi terdapat pada penggunaan lahan Hutan sekunder yaitu sebesar 342 ton/ha/tahun, sedangkan indeks bahaya erosi terendah terdapat pada penggunaan lahan semak belukar yaitu sebesar 1,08 ton/ha/tahun. Ada 3 (tiga) kategori tingkat bahaya erosi di Kecamatan Merdeka yaitu tingkat bahaya erosi level sedang, tinggi, dan sangat tinggi. Teknik konservasi tanah mekanik yang digunakan seperti teras bangku, guludan, saluran penampungan air, saluran pengelak, dan penanaman sejajar kontur  sedangkan teknik konservasi vegetatif yaitu seperti tumpang sari, mulsa organik, pengkayaan tanaman keras, pohon serbaguna, kebun campuran, dan tanaman penutup tanah.   Kata kunci : Erosi Tanah metode USLE, Indeks Bahaya Erosi, Konservasi Tanah   Abstract   The purpose of this research is to know the level of erosion to get the reference of soil conservation on various types of land use in Merdeka District. This research used erosion prediction analysis survey method with USLE method. The results showed that the highest erosion rate was found on the using of  land, of 2,959,018 tons/ha/ year, while the lowest erosion was found on the use of settlement land of 29,810 tons / ha / year. The highest and lowest permissible erosion was found in the use of scrubland, of 36.96 ton / ha / year and 6.81 tons/ha/ year respectively. The highest erosion hazard index was found in secondary forest land use of 342 tons/ha /year, while the lowest erosion index was 1,08 tons /ha/year. There are 3 (three) categories of erosion hazard in Merdeka District, they are medium, high, and very high erosion level. Mechanical soil conservation techniques are used such as bench terraces, bunds, water reservoirs, ducts, and parallel planting of contours while vegetative conservation techniques such as intercropping, organic mulch, hardwood enrichment, multipurpose trees, mixed gardens, and cover crops.  Keywords :  Soil Erosion USLE method, Erosion Hazard Index, Soil Conservatio

Orangutan Ecotourism on Sumatra Island: Current Conditions and a Call for Further Development

This paper aimed to provide a narrative review of the current conditions of orangutan ecotourism on Sumatra Island, problems in the current management systems, and some recommendations for further development. Orangutan conservation centers have been developed on Sumatra Island since 1973. The Bukit Lawang Conservation Station is one of the orangutan conservation centers that have practiced ecotourism to overcome ecological and socio-economic issues. Even though the Bukit Lawang Conservation Station has operated for decades, this station has faced several issues, in particular a monetary crisis in 1997, a flash flood in 2003, and the COVID-19 pandemic. We identified that orangutan conservation centers on Sumatra Island have the potential to support orangutan ecotourism. These conservation centers have ecological support, available facilities, and rich local wisdom that can provide added value for orangutan ecotourism. Therefore, we propose that the development of orangutan ecotourism on Sumatra Island should accommodate surrounding communities through community-based wildlife ecotourism. We also recommend the following strategies to develop orangutan ecotourism on Sumatra Island: (1) mapping the location and distribution of wild orangutans in their natural habitats; (2) managing captive and semi-captive orangutans in conservation centers; (3) provision of tour packages; (4) community empowerment; (5) institutional strengthening of community-based ecotourism management (CBEM); (6) developing ecotourism through a benefit-sharing model; (7) anticipating and minimizing the negative impacts of ecotourism on orangutans; and (8) integrating orangutan tourism with local wisdom

A Chronicle of Indonesia’s Forest Management: A Long Step towards Environmental Sustainability and Community Welfare

Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country in the world, with 17,000 islands of varying sizes and elevations, from lowlands to very high mountains, stretching more than 5000 km eastward from Sabang in Aceh to Merauke in Papua. Although occupying only 1.3% of the world’s land area, Indonesia possesses the third-largest rainforest and the second-highest level of biodiversity, with very high species diversity and endemism. However, during the last two decades, Indonesia has been known as a country with a high level of deforestation, a producer of smoke from burning forests and land, and a producer of carbon emissions. The aim of this paper is to review the environmental history and the long process of Indonesian forest management towards achieving environmental sustainability and community welfare. To do this, we analyze the milestones of Indonesian forest management history, present and future challenges, and provide strategic recommendations toward a viable Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) system. Our review showed that the history of forestry management in Indonesia has evolved through a long process, especially related to contestation over the control of natural resources and supporting policies and regulations. During the process, many efforts have been applied to reduce the deforestation rate, such as a moratorium on permitting primary natural forest and peat land, land rehabilitation and soil conservation, environmental protection, and other significant regulations. Therefore, these efforts should be maintained and improved continuously in the future due to their significant positive impacts on a variety of forest areas toward the achievement of viable SFM. Finally, we conclude that the Indonesian government has struggled to formulate sustainable forest management policies that balance economic, ecological, and social needs, among others, through developing and implementing social forestry instruments, developing and implementing human resource capacity, increasing community literacy, strengthening forest governance by eliminating ambiguity and overlapping regulations, simplification of bureaucracy, revitalization of traditional wisdom, and fair law enforcement