Livelihood Assets of the Mentawai Tribe in Siberut Island Biosphere Reserve

Abstract

Siberut island is one of the Mentawai Islands, located on the west coast of Sumatra island in Indonesia, a chain of islands famous for their unique biodiversity. The communities of Mentawai tribe in the Siberut islands are well known for their traditional wisdom in utilizing forest resources. For those reasons, Siberut has been officially declared as a Biosphere Reserve. On the other hand, with its rich potential in cultural and natural properties, poverty becomes the main problem faced by the tribe communities of the islands. This research is aimed to examine the assets of the Siberut commmunities utilized in their sustainable livelihood and also to describe the management of natural resources in the Siberut Island Biosphere Reserve. The study was conducted in three villages, namely Matotonan, Saibi Samukop, and Sagulubbek, in the Siberut communities of the Mentawai Islands regency. The study used a qualitative approach method for its analysis. Data were collected through a desk study on relevant literatures, interviews, and observations.

The results of this study showed that the communities had five sustainable livelihood assets such as human, natural, financial, physical and social capital resources. The social capital developed on communal land system has been threatened by new external value, such as the land certification published by the local government.