Socio-economic study of oil palm farmers' behaviour in the buffer zone village of singkil swamp wildlife reserve

KAJIAN SOSIAL EKONOMI PERILAKU PETANI KELAPA SAWIT DI DESA PENYANGGA SUAKA MARGASATWA RAWA SINGKIL

Abstract

The Singkil Wildlife Reserve is located at the end of the Alas-Singkil River estuary, which is increasingly threatened by oil palm plantations. The purpose of the study was to find out the socio-economic situation of the community in the buffer village and to assess the community's knowledge about the Singkil Swamp Wildlife Reserve. The research method used is the survey and interview method with the PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) approach and the determination of the number of respondents using the Sevilla Consuelo 2007 method. The results showed that the buffer community was aware of the existence of Singkil Swamp SM, but did not know its function and clear boundaries. This leads some people to encroach on the area, hunt and engage in other illegal activities. The socio-economic status of the buffer villages is classified as upper middle class, with an average income of Rp 1,500,000 and an average expenditure of over Rp 2,000,000 due to the number of dependents in a family for daily needs and the cost of palm fertiliser. Due to high expenditure compared to income, most people borrow from financial services and take up other jobs such as selling credit, opening stalls and illegal activities in the area. Education of the buffer village communities 82% have formal education, of which 43% are primary school graduates.