Impacts of Agricultural Practices and Tourism Activities on the Sustainability of Telaga Warna and Telaga Pengilon Lakes, Dieng Plateau, Central Java

¹ Department of Environmental Geography, Faculty of Geography, Gadjah Mada University,
² Environmental Study Program, Graduate School, Gadjah Mada University

^* Corresponding author: sudarmadji@ugm.ac.id

Abstract

Telaga Warna and Telaga Pengilon are two volcanic lakes in the Dieng Plateau offer some unique phenomena which are interested for tourists to visit. Telaga Warna and Telaga Pengilon are located side by side in the Dieng Palteau. Those two lakes also have specific ecosystem which differ to other lakes. However as land use in the surrounding area is now gradually changing, the lake is now facing to environmental degradation. The land use in the surrounding area is for intensive agricultural which main crops are vegetable, especially potatoes. Meanwhile, the number of tourist visiting those two lakes is increasing; it may also give some impact to the lake environment. This research aims to study the impacts of agricultural practices and tourism activities to the lake environmental which lead to the environment sustainability of the lakes. The field survey was conducted to collect some data on lakes characteristics, agricultural and tourism activities. Some interviews to local people and tourists were also conducted. Some water and sediment samples were collected followed by laboratory analyses. Some secondary data from previous study was also collected. Data analysis was conducted based on qualitative and quantitative techniques. The study found that agricultural practices of potatoes plantation uses water from the Telaga Pengilon to irrigate the plant by pumping out the water using water pump and distributes the water over the plantation area. Agricultural practices lead to soil erosion, which contribute sediment to the lake carried by surface runoff. Therefore, the volume of lakes is gradually decreasing. The use of fertilizer in the agricultural practice contribute nutrient into the lake carried by surface runoff, leading to the eutrophication, due to the excess used of fertilizer. The study concludes that agricultural practices and tourism activities have some positive economic impacts to the local community, however it also give some adverse affects on the lakes, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The volume of lakes is gradually decreasing due to sedimentation. In the long term periods the lake may not be interesting object for tourism.