IN PRAISE OF WILDLIFE TOURISM - A GEOFEST PERSPECTIVE

The 5th Geotourism Festival and International Conference 2024 was initiated by the Indonesian Geoparks Network (IGN) which is a geopark network in Indonesia comprising 10 UNESCO Global Geoparks and more than 10 national geoparks.

The Conference included a one-day workshop (18-20 July )in a partner country, this year in Australia. The GEOFEST 2024 Sydney Workshop event, co-hosted by the Australian Geoscience Council and The University of Sydney, included a special wildlife tourism session, as well as three tours. The focus of GEOFEST was on building a strategy framework for geotourism development in destinations where the volcano was reviewed as a key attraction, but also considering the role of wildlife as a key component of the holistic geotourism mix. www.geofest.com.au

As a starting point for considering the relationship between Australia and Indonesia as it related to evolution of fauna, the geological concept of Gondwana was reviewed at the wilfife session. Gondwana is well understood as a supercontinent that existed from the late Precambrian to the Jurassic period and included most of the landmasses in today's Southern Hemisphere, including South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, the Indian subcontinent, and the Arabian Peninsula.The breakup of Gondwana began in the Jurassic period, around 180 million years ago because of plate tectonics, a process that led to the formation of these continents. The movements of these landmasses have had profound impacts on global climate, ocean currents, and the evolution of life. Indonesia was not part of the original Gondwana supercontinent.

However, the region that is now Indonesia is a complex area geologically, influenced by multiple tectonic events and plates over geological time.Indonesia is located on the convergence of several major tectonic plates, including the Eurasian, Australian, Pacific, and Philippine Sea plates. Parts of Indonesia, particularly the western islands such as Sumatra and Java, were impacted by the tectonic activities involving the fragments of the Gondwana landmass which moved and interacted with other landmasses over millions of years.

Geology aside, Wallacea is a biogeographical region in Indonesia and the surrounding area. It is a transition zone between the Asian and Australasian ecological zones, and it includes several islands situated between the Sunda Shelf (part of the Asian continental shelf) and the Sahul Shelf (part of the Australian continental shelf). Wallacea is characterised by its unique flora and fauna, which have been influenced by both Asian and Australasian species due to its position between these two regions. This area includes Sulawesi, Lombok, Flores, Timor, Halmahera, and many smaller islands in the region.

Wallacea is notable for its high levels of biodiversity and endemism, meaning many species found there are unique to the region. The Wallace Line runs through Wallacea, loosely marking the division between species of Asian and Australasian origin. In this context, when considering the natural heritage of both Indonesia and Australia from a geotourism perspective, the Gondwana story is considerably enriched through understanding the relationship between faunal species in both countries. This relationship was explored by Dr Ronda Green, President of Wildlife Tourism Australia https://bit.ly/3ykHht8 and by Dr Julien Louys, Professor of Palaeontology, Griffith University who discussed ‘Australasian Exchanges and Extinctions: why is Australia, New Guinea and Wallacea so alike and yet so different?’ https://bit.ly/3WHSKfF

The astonishingly rich primate biodiversity of Indonesia was also revealed by Professor Jatna Supriatna of the Universitas Indonesia https://bit.ly/4c41uRP

In short, it is understood that at the foundation of geotourism is the physical landscape, which shapes the geosystem services provided to the biota and human societies that live in the place. Geotourism is therefore integrated – it sees geology and landscape as the foundation bedrock around which society, culture, and ecosystems (inclusive of a wide range of faunal species, both terrestial and marine) interact.

It is therefore important that geotourism (and ecotourism) practioners use every opportunity to understand how a focus on wildlife can enhance greatly the experience of visitors and tourists to all destinations irrespective of their landscape type.

A perfect opportunity to discover more about wildlife is offered through the annual conference of Wildlife Tourism Australia with the theme of 'Wild Tails: the Value of Story-telling and other Quality Interpretation in Wildlife Tourism' to be held on the 5-7th November 2024 online and at the North Star Resort, Hastings Point, northeastern New South Wales. Further details can be obtained by reference to https://bit.ly/3WxWP4S

As one key outcome of the GEOFEST, it is hoped that future geotourism events of this type will serve to better integate discussion of all aspects of natural and cultural heritage, especially wildlife, an element which enjoys such a high level of universal appeal amongst tourists of all ages and backgrounds.