ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Polit. Sci.
Sec. Comparative Governance
Why is Adaptive Policy Important in Geosite Governance as an Effort to Realize Sustainable Tourism in the Toba Caldera Geopark Area of Samosir Regency?
Provisionally accepted
- 1Muhammadiyah University of Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia
- 2Universitas Pembangunan Panca Budi, Medan, Indonesia
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Geosites as geopark assets not only have ecological and geological value, but also socio-cultural and sustainable economic value for local communities. The purpose of this study is to analyze the importance of adaptive policies in geosite governance by considering environmental dynamics, community involvement, and global challenges including climate change and sustainable tourism. The research method used a mixed methods approach with a sequential explanatory design. Quantitative data were obtained through a survey of stakeholders involved in geosite management, then analyzed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine factors influencing the effectiveness of adaptive policies. Furthermore, qualitative analysis was carried out to strengthen the quantitative results and provide contextual understanding. The results show that adaptive policies have a significant role in increasing the effectiveness of geosite governance in realizing sustainable tourism through existing local values. Then, the main contributing factors are cross-sector collaboration, recognition of local wisdom, and policy flexibility in responding to changing socioeconomic and environmental conditions. Thus, adaptive policies are seen as an important foundation in realizing the sustainability of the Toba Caldera Geopark and supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Keywords: adaptive policy, Geosite Governance, sustainable tourism, Toba Caldera Geopark, Local wisdom
Received: 26 Sep 2025; Accepted: 21 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hajar, Ramlan and Kholik. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Siti Hajar, sitihajar@umsu.ac.id
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