Influence of Community Sociodemographic Characteristics on The Perception of Ecosystem Services in Gunung Merapi National Park Eqia Masdya Yudhistira (a*), Prasetyo Nugroho (b)
a) Faculty of Vocational School, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Bulaksumur, Caturtunggal, Depok, Sleman, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia
b) Faculty of Vocational School, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Bulaksumur, Caturtunggal, Depok, Sleman, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia
Abstract
Gunung Merapi National Park (GMNP) is a conservation area with various ecosystem services that can provide more benefits for the community. Ecosystem services can be assessed through a social approach by considering community perceptions. The community^s sociodemographic characteristics have a strong influence on shaping the perception of ecosystem services. Differences in sociodemographic characteristics can affect people^s ability to identify and perceive ecosystem services. Good forest governance is implemented through sustainable management policies by understanding community perceptions of ecosystem services. Therefore, this study aims to identify ecosystem services that are most felt by the community and analyze the influence of community sociodemographic characteristics on the perception of ecosystem services. This study was in Hargobinangun Village with a proportional non-probability purposive sampling survey of 400 respondents. The influence of community sociodemographic characteristics on the perception of ecosystem services was analyzed using Generalized linear models (GLM) in R. The results show that the most perceived ecosystem services based on open-ended questions are tourist attractions, clean water, and local climate regulation. The regression analysis results show that education and income significantly affect the perception of provisioning services, and distance significantly affects the perception of regulating & supporting services. Age and occupation have a significant effect on the perception of cultural services. Gender and distance significantly influence the ability to identify ecosystem services. Thus, the recommendations prepared to map the blueprint for sand utilization and optimizing clean water management. In addition, increasing the perception of regulating and supporting services in communities close to GMNP and flora and fauna conservation, then tourism development with educational ecological, cultural, and recreational concepts.
Keywords: Community perception- Ecosystem services- Gunung merapi national park- Identification ability- Sociodemographic characteristics
Topic: Topik B: Community partnership for biodiversity conservation
