Abstract

Abstract. Romadhon A, Rini DAS, Hilyana S. 2025. Ecological risk assessment for sustainable tourism on Saobi Island, Indonesia. Asian J Ethnobiol 8: 291-300. The complex interplay between growing tourism and ecological sustainability is investigated in vulnerable small island ecosystems, driven by the need to protect unique biodiversity amidst anthropogenic pressures. Therefore, this research aims to conduct a systematic ecological risk assessment on Saobi Island, Indonesia, to identify specific vulnerabilities and develop evidence-based recommendations for policymakers, tourism stakeholders, and local communities to implement sustainable tourism strategies. A robust composite Ecological Risk Index (ERI) framework was used and adapted explicitly for small island environments. This methodology integrated standardized and weighted indicators across four critical ecological parameters, namely marine water quality (fecal coliform concentrations), coral reef health (coral bleaching percentages), solid waste management efficiency (beach waste density), and tourism carrying capacity (tourism density). These indicators were quantitatively combined to obtain a single numerical score representing the overall ecological risk. The assessment suggested an overall ERI value of 0.78 for Saobi Island, classifying ecological risk as "low" (in the 0.67-1.00 range). The results showed that current tourism activities were largely sustainable. However, this research identified persistent localized concerns, reporting degradation in marine water quality, ongoing anthropogenic pressures impacting coral reefs, and inadequacies in current solid waste management systems. The results also indicated the necessity for implementing integrated, resilience-focused management strategies that balanced economic, environmental, and social factors. Implications included the urgent need for optimized ecological zoning, stricter regulation of tourism activities, and consistent application of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). The framework incorporated precise spatial planning and robust community-based monitoring for mitigating ecological risks and improving long-term environmental stewardship.

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