CULTURAL HERITAGE CONSERVATION OF "THE UNITED STATE ARMY TRANSPORT (USAT) LIBERTY" SHIPWRECK SITE AS A SUSTAINABLE SCUBA DIVING ECOTOURISM

The "USAT LIBERTY" shipwreck site is a US warship which sank due to a torpedo hit from a Japanese submarine. Presently, the cultural heritage of the shipwreck site is a scuba diving eco-tourism area, with an average of 150 visitors per day. This study therefore aims to examine the sustainability status of scuba diving ecotourism conservation at the USAT Liberty shipwreck site by analyzing the ecology, economics, socio-cultural, legal and institutional, infrastructure and technology using the Multi-Dimensional Scaling (MDS) method. The results showed that the ecological dimension was in an almost unsustainable status at 48.01, while the economic, legal and institutional dimensions were in a quite sustainable status at 74.93 and 68.78, respectively. The socio-cultural dimension of infrastructure and technology is in a very sustainable status at 80.23 and 76.66. Therefore, to solve this problem, a sustainable strategic steps are needed, such as (1) rehabilitation of coral reef ecosystems, (2) Establishment of small and medium businesses (SME) for local communities, (3) improvement of the planning and management system, (4) Establishment of environmental and law enforcement systems, and (5) Establishment of a legislative system for ecotourism planning.