Ethnicity Shapes Land-Use Patterns Around Aketajawe Lolobata National Park

Image: article cover, from Lis Nurrani et al. (2015), Jurnal Wasian, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Land-use patterns among communities around Aketajawe Lolobata National Park in North Maluku are influenced by ethnic background. This finding comes from research by Lis Nurrani and Halidah of the Manado Forestry Research Institute and Supratman Tabba of the Makassar Forestry Research Institute, published in the Jurnal Wasian in 2015. The study focuses on the Aketajawe block and the buffer villages located less than 3 km, 3.3–5 km and more than 5 km from the national park boundary.

Local communities divide land into six patterns: community forest, mixed garden, monoculture plantation, intercropping garden, horticulture and paddy field. Indigenous people of Halmahera Island tend to use land as mixed gardens. In contrast, migrant communities opt for paddy fields and horticulture. According to the study, mixed gardens have land cover most similar to forest vegetation compared with the other patterns. In terms of income, paddy fields make the largest economic contribution, while community forest makes the smallest.

For national park managers, these findings show that managing buffer zones needs to take account of communities' cultural backgrounds, not merely their distance from the protected area boundary. The mixed-garden pattern, which resembles forest, can serve as a reference for maintaining vegetation cover while supporting the livelihoods of residents around the conservation area.

Source and how to cite

This story is based on the research article Ethnic Influence Against Land Use Patterns and Its Contribution to Community Income in The Aketajawe Lolobata National Park (Pengaruh Etnis Terhadap Pola Pemanfaatan Lahan Dan Kontribusinya Bagi Pendapatan Masyarakat Di Taman Nasional Aketajawe Lolobata) by Lis Nurrani Lis Nurrani, Halidah Halidah and Supratman Tabba Supratman, published in Jurnal Wasian Vol. 2 No. 2 (2015). The full article is free to read on the Jurnal Wasian website.

Cite the original article (APA 7):

Lis Nurrani, L. N., Halidah, H., & Supratman, S. T. (2015). Ethnic Influence Against Land Use Patterns and Its Contribution to Community Income in The Aketajawe Lolobata National Park (Pengaruh Etnis Terhadap Pola Pemanfaatan Lahan Dan Kontribusinya Bagi Pendapatan Masyarakat Di Taman Nasional Aketajawe Lolobata). Jurnal Wasian, 2(2), 55–66. https://doi.org/10.62142/wpsk4k29

If you use these findings in coursework, a thesis or other writing, cite the original article above, not this news story. The original article is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.