Management of land use in heritage tourism: Case study Mount Fuji (Japan) and Mount Merapi (Indonesia)

Resumen

The conservation of heritage landscapes seeks to maintain the authenticity of objects or landscapes, while tourism modifies the land in the opposite direction. Policy reform is required to integrate conservation and tourism principles. This study aimed to identify the impact of land-use changes in heritage tourism sites on land-use change patterns. This research was conducted by comparing countries with high population growth rates, represented by Indonesia, and countries with low population growth rates, represented by Japan. Spatial and comparative methods are used in this study. This study concludes that land use management in Merapi and Fuji has so far been directed towards conserving lands with a zoning system. However, the Indonesian government manages Merapi with a separate land-use system, where each zone is managed by a different institution. Meanwhile, the Japanese government manages the land use of Mount Fuji with an integrated national park system, where land use is managed by one institution consisting of the government and the community. This study also found that tourism development policies are more influential than environmental protection policies in heritage tourism. However, criticism from effective and powerful stakeholders such as UNESCO can compel governments to reform their management policies. Finally, this study clarifies that population growth is not the main factor for land degradation, especially forest loss, but tourism policies accelerate the rate of forest loss.