Mapping a Policy-Making Process the Case of Komodo National Park, Indonesia
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THESIS REPORT Mapping a Policy-making Process The case of Komodo National Park, Indonesia Novalga Aniswara MSc Tourism, Society & Environment Wageningen University and Research A Master’s thesis Mapping a policy-making process: the case of Komodo National Park, Indonesia Novalga Aniswara 941117015020 Thesis Code: GEO-80436 Supervisor: prof.dr. Edward H. Huijbens Examiner: dr. ir. Martijn Duineveld Wageningen University and Research Department of Environmental Science Cultural Geography Chair Group Master of Science in Tourism, Society and Environment i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Tourism has been an inseparable aspect of my life, starting with having a passion for travelling until I decided to take a big step to study about it back when I was in vocational high school. I would say, learning tourism was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life considering opportunities and experiences which I encountered on the process. I could recall that four years ago, I was saying to myself that finishing bachelor would be my last academic-related goal in my life. However, today, I know that I was wrong. With the fact that the world and the industry are progressing and I raise my self-awareness that I know nothing, here I am today taking my words back and as I am heading towards the final chapter from one of the most exciting journeys in my life – pursuing a master degree in Wageningen, the Netherlands. Never say never. In completing this thesis, I received countless assistances and helps from people that I would like to mention. Firstly, I would not be at this point in my life without the blessing and prayers from my parents, grandma, and family. I hope that I can be the person who makes them happy and contribute to society through this experience. Secondly, I would like to thank Edward Huijbens for being the best thesis supervisor I could ever imagine with his brilliant thoughts and constructive feedbacks which helped me to improve the thesis as well as progress myself as a person. Thirdly, to all the listed stakeholders whom I interviewed and willingly spared their time to answer and discuss some of the topics with me during the fieldwork. And also, to my friends (if you read this, you know who you are) for the endless messages, calls, and motivations to finish the program and always aiming for the best result. Special thanks to Jojo for connecting me to great people in the ministries and Haris for doing the same in Labuan Bajo! Last but definitely not least, my highest gratitude to Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) for financing my study at Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands. People change, so does your dream and yourself. This time, I do not say a single word of never. As Michael Jordan says: Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just illusion. Novalga Aniswara 07 March 2020 ii ABSTRACT Komodo National Park (NP) has gained worldwide recognition since becoming a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1986. Recently, the Indonesian government through Ministry of Tourism designated the park as one of the new ten priority tourism destinations of Indonesia, leading to investment in accessibility resulting in a high influx of tourist arrivals. Considering this growth, conflicts of interest have arisen involving multi-layered government and non-government institutions. In this context, a key point of interest is how the national park authority formulates their policy regarding a proposal to close the national park to adhere to its objectives of conserving the natural environment for ensuring the excellent quality of Komodo dragon habitat. The research mainly focused on the policy of Komodo National Park proposed closure in 2019, surrounding discourses between involved actors and its policy development process. Through the analysis of the stakeholder network, this research comprehensively mapped a stakeholder relationship which regulates and produces the policy concerning nature, tourism, and tourists flow as well as discovers the motives from different stakeholders, the impact, and interventions that occur in the process of this policy development. Firstly, policy and content document analyses were conducted to have the preliminary list of involved actors, and it used as the first reference for developing the potential actors’ network. The initial analysis was followed by in-person interviews with identified actors to reveal the processes unfolding and relations forged at each institutional level and how policy is being formulated and discussed amongst the actors before it is put into practice. Then, a complete stakeholder map in the Komodo NP case was created by looking at the degree of stakeholders’ power and interest. The study becomes relevant to reveal how such dynamics occur and explains the policy formulation process using stakeholder analysis approach with underlining the actors’ power and interest towards the Komodo NP closure initiative, more particularly, how the national park authority negotiates this decision within the complex network amid its role as a conservation authority of a popular tourism destination. Keyword: Stakeholder, Stakeholder Analysis, Power, Interest, Policy-making Process, National Park, Komodo NP, Indonesia iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgement ....................................................................................................................... ii Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... iii Glossary ...................................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Research Questions and Objectives ...................................................................................... 5 1.3 Relevance of the study .......................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 2. Theoretical Framework ......................................................................................... 7 2.1 Policy-making Process .......................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Stakeholders .......................................................................................................................... 8 2.3 Power and Interest as driving factors .................................................................................. 10 2.3.1 Power ............................................................................................................................ 10 2.3.2 Interest .......................................................................................................................... 12 2.4 Conflicts and Dynamics ...................................................................................................... 13 2.5 Agenda Settings................................................................................................................... 14 2.6 Stakeholder Mapping .......................................................................................................... 14 2.7 Visualisation of Research’s Conceptual Framework .......................................................... 17 Chapter 3. Methodology ......................................................................................................... 20 3.1 Methods ............................................................................................................................... 20 3.1.1 Semi-Structured Interview ............................................................................................ 20 3.1.2 Interviews Guide and Questions List............................................................................ 21 3.2 Data Collection .................................................................................................................... 22 3.3 Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 24 3.4 Quality of Research ............................................................................................................. 26 iv 3.5 Ethics ................................................................................................................................... 27 3.6 Methodology: the reflection ................................................................................................ 28 Chapter 4. Findings and Discussion ...................................................................................... 30 4.1 Findings ............................................................................................................................... 30 4.1.1 Primary Stakeholders .................................................................................................... 30 4.1.2 Secondary Stakeholders ................................................................................................ 44 4.2 Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 58 4.2.1 Power-Interest Stakeholder Map .................................................................................. 58 4.2.2 The Story of stakeholder Interest and Its Impacts ........................................................ 62 Chapter 5. Conclusion