From Tourism to Agriculture: Elucidating Community Well-being in Gunung Mulu National Park during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

: Local communities who live surrounding Gunung Mulu National Park (GMNP), a UNESCO World Heritage Site mostly depend on ecotourism activities held in the park. Their socio-economic status has been improved in alignment with accommodation, transportation, and tourist guide services provided. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted these tourism activities in GMNP to the point where they are required to look for alternatives for subsistence due to the restriction of the tourism sector globally. Considering these challenges; their well-being, which might be more fragile due to living in an isolated area became an interest of local authorities for social welfare assistance. Consequently, this study aims to assess the well-being of the local community based on their level of satisfaction with the environmental, economic, and social attributes during the pandemic and to inform related stakeholders. A validated questionnaire was distributed to 99 local communities who lived within and near the GMNP. In addition, eight key informants, including tribal chiefs, homestay operators, boatmen, and farmers, to describe the welfare-related phenomenon that occurs in the area were interviewed. The findings indicate that most local communities are satisfied with the environment and the social aspect, but not with the economic aspect, which is their monthly income. This forces them to engage in gardening, fishing, animal husbandry, and other small-scale agriculture activities for food security despite their lack of agricultural expertise. By emphasising agricultural skills through related intervention courses, various stakeholders can implement a more effective management strategy toward building a more disaster-resilient community in the area.