Peningkatan Kapasitas Pariwisata Berkelanjutan Berbasis Masyarakat Internasional di Geopark Karst Rammang-Rammang: Memperkuat Ekosistem Pariwisata Berkelanjutan Berbasis Kolaborasi Indonesia-Malaysia

Abstract

The Rammang-Rammang area in Maros Regency, South Sulawesi, is part of the Maros-Pangkep UNESCO 
Global Geopark, which has strategic value as a geotourism destination, ecotourism, environmental education, and 
economic empowerment of local communities. However, increased destination exposure and tourist mobility can put 
pressure on karst landscapes, river ecosystems, regional cleanliness, local institutions, and the distribution of economic 
benefits. This international-scale community service activity was carried out on Sunday, May 16, 2026 through an Indonesia-Malaysia collaboration involving Universitas Negeri Makassar, Hasanuddin University, and Management and 
Science University Malaysia. This program aims to strengthen the capacity of communities and local stakeholders in 
developing a community-based sustainable tourism ecosystem. The implementation method uses a participatory 
empowerment approach through education, reflective discussion, problem mapping, and the formulation of action 
strategies. The program's empirical data includes issues such as Rammang-Rammang's potential, the pillars of 
sustainable tourism, ecosystem development strategies, the role of the community as the main actor, and the challenges 
of over-tourism and environmental degradation. The results of the activity show that the sustainability of Rammang
Rammang needs to be built on five main components: karst area conservation, strengthening community institutions, 
controlling visitor numbers, developing the local creative economy, and tourism education. This program emphasizes 
that sustainable tourism in geopark areas is not adequately managed through an economic approach alone but requires 
collaborative governance across countries, institutions, and actors. This article recommends the integration of 
sustainable destination policies, community-based tourism, carrying capacity, ticket digitization, waste management, 
and strengthening local MSMEs as the basis for the development of Rammang-Rammang as an international class 
geopark destination.