Pengelolaan Hutan Mangrove Berbasis Masyarakat di Wilayah Pesisir Kecamatan Tanjung Tiram Kabupaten Batubara

Abstract

Community base management is part of people Participative empowerment program which is urgent to be continued, especially in the community development in forest since there is the degradation of ecological and economical functions of forest, due to the population growth and the people activities in earning their lives. In the provincial level, the damage of mangrove ecosystem in the coastal region of North Sumatera, at Tanjung Balai (Asahan District), has reached 12,900 hectares (89.6%) from 14,400 hectares. The research was conducted at Tanjung Tiram Subdistrict, Batubara District, which comprised of eleven villages and one kelurahan (the administrative unit below, subdistrict). The population of the research was all people who lived at Tanjung Tiram Subdistrict and who Participated in managing mangrove forest. 104 of them were used as the samples, using purposive sampling technique. The result of the research showed that independent variables of socio-economic condition, the participative empowerment, and public perception had significant influence on the dependent variable of public participation. This was indicated by F-count, value (69.620) > F-table and sig-p (0.000) < 0.05. It is recommended that the people who live along the mangrove forest area at Tanjung Tiram Subdistrict, Batubara District, should participate in the empowerment program conducted by the agencies concerned in order to increase their knowledge which will eventually increase their awareness to participate in the management of mangrove forest.

Pengelolaan berbasis masyarakat merupakan bagian dari program pemberdayaan masyarakat secara partisipatif yang dewasa ini sangat urgen ditindaklanjuti khususnya dalam pembangunan masyarakat kawasan hutan sehubungan dengan terjadinya degradasi fungsi ekologis dan ekonomis hutan akibat pertumbuhan penduduk dan aktifitas untuk memenuhi kebutuhan hidupnya. Di tingkat provinsi, kerusakan ekosistem hutan mangrove Sumatera Utara yang paling tinggi berada di wilayah Pantai Timur Sumatera Utara, yaitu Kota Tanjung Balai (Kabupaten Asahan) yang mencapai 12.900 Ha (89.6%) dari 14.400 Ha. Lokasi penelitian dilaksanakan di Kecamatan Tanjung Tiram Kabupaten Batubara yang meliputi 11 desa dan 1 kelurahan. Populasi penelitian mencakup semua anggota masyarakat Kecamatan Tanjung Tiram yang turut berpartisipasi dalam pengelolaan hutan mangrove. Penentuan sampel menggunakan metode purposive sampling dengan jumlah sampel 104 orang. Hasil penelitian memperlihatkan bahwa variabel bebas kondisi sosial ekonomi, pemberdayaan partisipatif dan persepsi masyarakat berpengaruh secara signifikan terhadap variabel terikat partisipasi masyarakat. Hal ini diindikasikan oleh nilai F-hitung (69.620) > F-tabel dan sig-p (0.000) < 0.05. Disarankan agar masyarakat kawasan hutan mangrove Kecamatan Tanjung Tiram Kabupaten Batubara mengikuti program pemberdayaan yang dilaksanakan oleh lembaga terkait agar mendapatkan peningkatan pengetahuan yang lebih baik sehingga dapat meningkatkan kesadarannya untuk berpartisipasi dalam program pengelolaan hutan mangrove.