COMMUNITY-BASED ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT AS A RESPONSE EFFORTS IN ADDRESSING THE HUNTING AND TRADING ACTIVITIES OF ENDEMIC BIRDS BY COMMUNITIES IN THE CENTER OF THE CENTRAL MALUKU DISTRICT MANUSELA NATIONAL PARK (A CASE STUDY IN THE UTILIZATION ZONE OF THE MASIHULAN VILLAGE)Yosevita Th. Latupapua, C.K. Pattinasarany and Febian F. TetelayAbstract Ecotourism is a form of tourism management that prioritizes the process of community participation and empowerment. Manusela National Park is one of the ecotourist attraction centers in Central Maluku Regency, Maluku Province, and it has a distinctive as well as an endemic diversity of flora and fauna. Furthermore, it is supported by local communities with the opportunity of being a source of ecotourism attraction. Therefore, this study aims to examine ecotourism towards the activities of communities in buffer zones following the capturing and trading of endemic bird species. Data collection techniques were implemented by observing the habitat of endemic birds, and in-depth interviews were conducted to investigate the activities of catching and trading by the community. Descriptive qualitative and quantitative analytical methods were adopted in this study. Also, analysis of assistance to protect the development of socio-economic measures before and after community-based ecotourism in the Manusela National Park was conducted. The results showed that people increasingly understand the protection of endemic birds, which improves the well-being of communities in the area. The activities of this community have an impact on the capture and trading of endemic birds by increasing the interest of investments. |