Coastal Ecosystems Damaged, Laut Tribe in Riau Islands Short of Food

ARSIP YAYASAN KAJANG

Residents of Laut tribal village in Lingga regency, Riau Islands, May 28, 2020.

BATAM, KOMPAS — The COVID-19 pandemic and rough seas during the north wind season have limited the access of the Laut tribe to the outside world in Lingga regency, Riau Islands. The challenge is getting tougher because the coastal ecosystem can no longer be relied on to support food needs as a result of increasingly severe damage to nature.

Two canoes with nipah leaf canopies came to Daik, the center of Lingga\'s government, on Monday (1/2/2021). That morning, Puase, 54, brought his two wives and three children. They were hungry and wanted to buy sago, but they had no money.

Not knowing what to do, Puase went to tell his struggles to the chairwoman of the Kajang Foundation, Densy Fluzianti. For the past six years, the 46-year-old has been known as a social activist and activist for equal education for the indigenous community in Lingga.

Now, the condition is getting worse because residents struggle to go to sea during the north wind season.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer ships visited Puase\'s residence on Air Bingkai island, Temiang Pesisir district. This made it difficult for residents to buy food and sell their catch from the sea.

Now, the condition is getting worse because residents struggle to go to sea during the north wind season. From December to March, wave heights in the area can reach 4 meters or more. Some time ago, Puase\'s boat was nearly capsized by the waves.

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Location of Tajur Biru village, Temiang Pesisir district, Lingga regency, Riau Islands.

According to Densy, rough seas are usually not a problem because they take place predictably every year. During the north wind season, residents usually survive by fishing in shallow waters. However, now the coast is no longer able to support the Laut tribe because the ecosystem has been damaged.

"Now, they are really in trouble. They can’t ever think to catch fish to be sold. [The supply] is insufficient, even to meet their own needs,” said Densy when contacted by telephone from Batam.

Most people of Laut tribe in Lingga still consume sago. This staple material costs Rp 2,500 per kilogram (kg) and is much less expensive than rice, which is around Rp 10,000 per kg. However, Puase had no money, even for sago.

They should have been guarding the mangroves, but now they are forced to cut them down. Well, that\'s the dilemma.

According to Puase, survival during the north wind season is becoming more difficult because the mangroves have mostly been cleared. Marine animals such as crabs disappear after mangroves are cut down. As a result, during extreme weather, the people of Laut tribe often lack food because they have to row farther away to catch fish.

Ironically, some of the people of Laut tribe have been forced to join the mangrove clearing because it is the only employment available to them during the north wind season. They are paid Rp 120,000 for every ton of mangroves felled.

Also read: The Conscience of Seafarers

"They should have been guarding the mangroves, but now they are forced to cut them down. Well, that\'s the dilemma," said Densy.

ARPA AINDI UNTUK KOMPAS

Densy Fluzianti with the children of the Laut Tribe

In the Riau Islands, it is estimated that there are 44 groups of the Laut tribe, consisting of around 12,800 people. Most of them, 30 groups, are scattered on small islands around Lingga regency.

According to Densy, during the New Order era, the government, through the Social Affairs Ministry, tried to change the way of life of the Laut tribe. On the main islands of the Riau Islands, such as Batam and Bintan, the government built houses to enable the Laut tribe people to adjust to modern life.

However, this did not succeed in enabling them to live in a civilized manner, according to the government standard. Members of the Laut tribe who were forced to land by the government now live in poverty.

Densy said that what the Laut tribe really needed was not housing assistance from the government but recognition and protection of their existence and difference as an ocean nomadic tribe. Forcing them to live like people on land would only make the Laut tribe more marginalized and forgotten.

Without the right to be prioritized, the living area of Laut tribe will be threatened by development on the coast and small islands. Reclamation, conversion of mangrove forest functions and large-scale fishing can lead to conflicts if they overlap with the traditional territories of the Laut tribe.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo