Participatory Governance in The Development of Nature-Based Tourism in The Tinggimoncong Area, Gowa Regency, Indonesia

Abstract

This study examines the implementation of Participatory Governance in the development of nature-based tourism in the Tinggimoncong area, Gowa Regency, Indonesia. Nature-based tourism is a strategic sector for local economic development with significant potential to enhance community welfare while ensuring environmental sustainability. However, its implementation still faces challenges, particularly the limited involvement of local communities in planning, decision-making, and policy evaluation processes. This research employs a qualitative approach using in-depth interviews, field observations, and document analysis. Data were analyzed using NVivo to identify four key governance dimensions, namely participatory planning, collaborative resource management, capacity building, and monitoring and evaluation. The findings reveal that participatory governance practices are present but unevenly distributed across these dimensions. Collaborative resource management is the most dominant aspect, while monitoring and evaluation represents the weakest component. Community participation is mainly concentrated in operational roles such as employment and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), whereas involvement in strategic decision-making remains limited. This condition reflects an asymmetrical governance structure dominated by external actors, with local communities positioned primarily as implementers rather than decision-makers. The study concludes that participatory governance in the Tinggimoncong tourism sector can be characterized as operationally inclusive but strategically exclusive, emphasizing the need to strengthen community capacity and institutionalize more inclusive participatory mechanisms to achieve sustainable tourism governance.