Preliminary Study of the Effect of Tourism Activities on Litter Pollution: A Case Study on Padar Island, Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Tourism is a significant socioeconomic activity in a coastal country such as Indonesia. However, it degrades the ecosystem quality when the increasing litter pollution is poorly managed in the marine tourism area. The purpose of this research was to assess the impact of tourism on the litter pollution on the Padar Island, Komodo National Park, Indonesia, specifically on the hiking track. According to the performed investigation, plastic litter was discovered dominant on the Padar Island (131 of 146 items). It was found that filter cigarette butts (49 items, 33.56%), candy wrapper (18 items, 12.33%), wet tissue/wet wipes (17 items, 11.64%) and outsole from shoe/sandals (13 items, 8.90%), dominated the litter collected. Smoking activity, food and beverage consumption, and hiking activity are all examples of activities that may result in litter from visitors in this national park area. Tourism impacts the litter pollution in the Padar Island hiking trail. Therefore, more robust awareness strategies and controls are required to reduce the litter pollution and prevent further consequences.