Message from symposium chair

We welcome you to the first International Conference of Biodiversity Conservation and Ecotourism (BCE Symposium), will be held on the 7th and 8th December 2024 in Labuan Bajo, Flores, Indonesia. As a premier conference in the field of connecting biodiversity and tourism, BCE 2024 provides a highly competitive forum for exchanging research findings, training, policy development on environmental tourism, and the latest developments in the research and application of biodiversity conservation. This conference will also address tourism in Indonesia and other countries identify environmental and biodiversity vulnerability in tourism destinations, and explores the challenges of the biological field in supporting ecotourism development.

Why do we address this linked biodiversity and tourism is so important in tropical countries? Because understanding biodiversity for sustainable ecotourism destinations requires a basic knowledge of the principles of biology, which are poorly understood in tropical developing countries, including Indonesia. As we may know biodiversity is the backbone of the tourism industry. The role of biodiversity in tourism ranges from biodiversity as an attraction (many wildlife are focal point species), resources for consumptive goods (culinary), natural components to support environmental survival (pollination), to aesthetics (ornamental plants). Biodiversity, however, is not a tourist attraction unless its tourism potential value is converted and actualized as objects that can attract tourists. The success of tourist attractions, therefore, depends on the ability of tourism planners and managers to actualize the potential value of biodiversity as a tourist attraction. The panners are also needs to understand the principles of biodiversity and tourism settings in different ecosystems, local people, and government regulations.

Ecotourism involves responsible travel to a natural environment, which positively contributes to environment and biodiversity conservation, local economic growth and development, and strengthening of the socio-cultural aspects of the local community. Global awareness regarding environmental degradation and biodiversity extinction has undoubtedly increased in many places, and numerous strategies to countermeasure environmental degradation have been promoted. In such cases, ecotourism has been considered as a tourism industry, which passively supports environmental conservation. Globally, ecotourism has received considerable support from environmentalists and travellers who are interested in the environment, local development, and social issues.

We thank all participants ranging from biodiversity and tourism experts, local and central governments, donors, NGOs, private sectors, and local stakeholders. We hope that this program will further stimulate research in biodiversity in the tropical area that can serve as tourism activities, and provide practitioners with better techniques, and tools for deployment. We feel honored and privileged to serve the best recent developments in the field of biodiversity and ecotourism to you through this exciting program.

Co-chairmen
Dr. Jatna Supriatna
Professor of Conservation Biology, Universitas Indonesia
Executive Director of Indonesian Science Fund (DIPI)

Dr. Frans Teguh
Chair of BPOLBF (Special Tourism Authority for Labuan Bajo and Flores)
Advisor to the Minister of Tourism and Economic Creative