Sustainable Development Kawasan Lembah Harau Menuju Geopark

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the implementation of sustainable development in the Harau Valley Area toward National Geopark status and to identify the challenges encountered. A qualitative case study with a descriptive approach was employed. Nine informants were drawn from the tourism office, the environmental agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), the Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis), the nagari government and customary institutions, and tourism business actors. Data were collected through interviews, observation, and documentation and were analyzed using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña model within the Triple Bottom Line framework. The findings reveal that sustainable development has not yet been implemented optimally. In the environmental dimension (planet), waste management problems occur in the core zone, homestay development in the buffer zone does not fully comply with environmental carrying capacity, and tourism pressure is increasing. In the social dimension (people), community participation is relatively strong, but Geopark literacy remains low and replica-based tourism in the community utilization zone threatens local cultural authenticity. In the economic dimension (profit), tourism contributes to local income through MSMEs, homestays, and tourism services, although the benefits are unevenly distributed. The main challenges are bureaucratic stagnation and overlapping authority, weak spatial planning regulations, weak political commitment and budget support, and a waste management crisis accompanied by cultural distortion. Strengthening collaborative governance and Geopark education is essential for sustainable development.