SEMBALUN – Mount Rinjani is no longer merely a physical trekking destination; it has ascended to become a global center for geological narrative. The Governor of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, officially inaugurated the Rinjani Geopark Information Center in Sembalun, East Lombok, on Saturday (May 2). This facility is projected to become the epicenter for data and education, communicating the profound history of the Rinjani “Open-Air Museum”—including the cataclysmic 1257 eruption of Mount Samalas—to a global audience.
Governor Iqbal firmly positioned the preservation of Rinjani above pragmatic economic interests. “Mount Rinjani belongs to all of humanity. This place must become a data collection hub so that its great history can be properly narrated,” he stated. This move also serves as the foundation for a grand vision: the integration of traditional villages with sustainable conservation areas.
The General Manager of Rinjani Geopark, Qwadru Putro Wicaksono, revealed that the facility is a strategic response to UNESCO assessors’ recommendations to maintain its Green Card status. The primary focus moving forward is ensuring that the economic benefits of Global Geopark status trickle down to the grassroots through the empowerment of local MSMEs and the strengthening of a geosite-based economy.
The Information Center in Sembalun addresses the visibility challenges previously noted by UNESCO. With accessible geological data now available, tourists have the opportunity to understand Rinjani as a living geological entity. The sustainability of this international status will depend heavily on the management’s consistency in balancing tourist influx with the environmental carrying capacity of the Sembalun region.
