Geotourism Development Planning in Paleobotany Park Merangin

Geopark Merangin Jambi located in the Jambi Province administratively. The total area of Geopark Merangin Jambi is 20.360 km2. Currently, Geopark Merangin Jambi is in the process of being certified as Global Geopark by GGN-UNESCO. The Paleobotany Park Merangin with whole area of 1.551 km2 is present as a core region and is situated in the southern part of Merangin Regency, typically along and in flood plains of the Merangin and Mengkarang Rivers. The main obstacles found in Paleobotany Park Merangin based on Author’s observation results are poor accessibility to geosite locations and inadequate management. This constraint is due to the lack of attention from the government and the public awareness to preserve geosites even though Geopark Merangin Jambi is currently in the process of being certified as Global Geopark. Therefore it is necessary to plan the development of geotourism in Geopark Merangin Jambi, especially in Paleobotany Park Merangin as a core region of Geopark Merangin so that constraints can be overcome. The aim of this paper is to introduce as well as publication media to increase local income and in addition it can be used by the Government to develop the Paleobotany Park Merangin in the future.