"There have been many (communities) that are successful in managing nature as productive land, for nature tourism, and other purposes. Praise be to God, many business actors in Kuningan have established themselves as a legal entity which offers them better financial access," the ministry secretary, Arif Rahman Hakim, stated, as per the statement on Sunday.
At an event in Kuningan District, West Java, Friday, he said that if natural potentials are managed properly, residents' livelihood could be improved by rising demand in the tourism sector.
The ministry official also encouraged residents to persevere the environment in developing local tourism and optimise idle areas and social forests for productive purposes, including for agriculture and tourism.
"We will also collaborate with some start-ups in the agricultural and fishery sectors to cooperate and guide the community to utilise social forest areas," Hakim said.
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He added that the ministry is committed to developing community economy through sustainable tourism to achieve equitable welfare for the people without over-exploitation of nature.
Meanwhile, Kuningan District Co-operatives, Trade, and Industry Office Head Kusmana said that despite the region's outstanding natural resources potential, budget issues remain a challenge to the development and management of the potential.
Some 30 natural tourism attractions developed by residents in Mount Ciremai have been managed as co-operatives, the official pointed out.
He expressed the hope that tourism co-operatives in Kuningan could contribute to the development of regional tourism, as the district authority needs support from various stakeholders to develop the sector.
"I hope Kuningan's original regional revenue from the tourism sector will continue to increase," he said.
Kusmana also reiterated the district authority's commitment to supporting co-operatives improving their institution, productivity, and market access to achieve a sustainable economy.
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Translator: M Baqir Idrus A, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Suharto
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