Assessment of geological diversity, geosites, and geotourism potencies at Menoreh Mountain for designation of geopark area

Abstract

Menoreh Mountain area is an area with very high geological uniqueness. One of the statuses that is contextually determined is a geopark because it provides a framework for conservation, education, and sustainable local economic activities as its pillars that are relevant to the agenda of economic development. It is necessary to characterize the existing geotourism potential in Menoreh Mountain area. This research attempts to identify and develop this potential using spatial and regional complex approaches. Technically, the method used is the Modified Geosites Assessment Model (M-GAM) combined with Hot-Spot Analysis to obtain spatial and non-spatial geotourism potential clustering. Clustering is done using K-Means Cluster Analysis. The results show that the existing geosites, spatially formed a cluster and can be used to determine the theme of the tourism activity to strengthen the geopark pillars. The development of geopark is hindered by several constraints including the division of administration and the disparity of each administrative region's capability. In general, a strategy to tighten the stakeholder and optimize the research is required to initially strengthen the geopark's pilars. It is also important to build a linkage of the geodiversity with the biodiversity and cultural diversity to enhance the significance value of Menoreh Mountain.