2024 Report | mentawaiprimate

2024 Report

Primate Conservation Education Program

Preface

Praise and thanks be to God Almighty for the completion of the Biodiversity and Primate Conservation Education Program in the Mentawai Islands, which ran for eight months, from March to November 2024, in the areas of North Pagai, South Pagai, and Sipora. This program is a collaboration between the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), Universitas Andalas, and Mandai Nature Singapore, in an effort to preserve biodiversity, particularly endangered endemic primate species.

This program involves lecturers, alumnae, students, and partners in a comprehensive range of activities, including conservation education in schools, community empowerment, biodiversity surveys, and meetings with stakeholders. All activities are designed to increase awareness, capacity, and participation of local communities in nature conservation in the Mentawai Islands, which is one of the regions with endemic biodiversity and primates. Mentawai is the Galapagos of Asia.

We would like to express our gratitude to all parties involved, especially Mandai Nature Singapore, for providing financial support, as well as the people of the Mentawai Islands who have been actively involved in this programme. We hope that the results of this programme will serve as a foundation for future sustainable conservation efforts.

Lastly, we hope this report can provide inspiration and guidance for all parties concerned with nature conservation, while encouraging the creation of a balanced and sustainable ecosystem.

Dr. Rizaldi

Project-in-Charge

Summary

The program's primary objectives were to educate local communities, particularly youth, about the importance of biodiversity conservation, develop and encourage sustainable community practices, and program employed three focus areas:

First, Conservation Education Program: The team conducted interactive sessions in nine schools across three Mentawai Islands (North Pagai, South Pagai, and Sipora). Activities included pre and post-test, quizzes, games, and creative activities such as coloring contest and conservation-themed songs. Second, Community Development Program: Training sessions were held to teach sustainable farming techniques, food processing methods, environmental stewardship, and introducing the idea of ecotourism. Thirds, Surveys: Field surveys and interviews were conducted to assess the status of primate populations and understand community perceptions of conservation. This included mapping critical habitats, documenting threats, and analyzing hunting patterns.

The Conservation Education Program, students demonstrated improved knowledge and awareness of biodiversity, as evidenced by significant progress in post-assessment results. Creative and interactive activities fostered a sense of responsibility towards environmental protection.

The Community Development Program highlighted the community’s interest in sustainable practices, with participants showing enthusiasm for initiatives like eco-tourism and processed food products. However, some resistance was observed due to economic dependencies on unsustainable practices and logistical challenges in implementing new methods.

The Surveys revealed declining populations of key primate species due to habitat
destruction and hunting. While some community members expressed support for conservation efforts, traditional practices and economic needs posed challenges to broader acceptance of these initiatives.

Our program applied several methods, evaluating the impact of conservation education through surveys and discussions, increasing community participation in conservation, and assessing the adoption of sustainable practices such as eco-friendly farming and responsible tourism. It also improved local knowledge of primate species and biodiversity, reduced wildlife hunting, and enhanced multi-stakeholder collaboration for conservation and sustainable development.

Conservation Education

We teach Primate Conservation Education in 9 schools, 5 elementary schools and 4 middle schools. The material presentation focuses on 2 important topics, namely the Environment and Marine Diversity.

In addition to direct presentations, the material is delivered through pre-tests and post-tests, an Animal Coloring Contest, ‘Ranking 1’ Games, and other fun games.

We also created an interactive song titled ‘Sikabuat Mentawai’, which means Mentawai Primate.

Read the Report

This program has reached

4650

people

2111

2 1411

schools

students

empowerment participants

711

survey

respondents

Read the Report

Community Development

We explore the potential for economic empowerment based on three main things found in Mentawai: agricultural products, marine products, and craft products.

In practice, we work together with Mentawai women's groups who culturally act as food managers for their families. Their understanding of available resources gives them the opportunity, within limited space, to make Mentawai culinary culture economically valuable.

Effective management, marketing strategies, and proper packaging are the primary means to develop the economic value of communities rooted in their culture and environment.

Read the Report

Survey on Primates

We conducted a survey of 886 respondents from June to October 2024 in 27 hamlets.

The questions we asked covered eight main topics, namely: what are the benefits of forests for the community, what are their criteria for good forests, what is the current condition of the surrounding forests, what are their responses to logging activities and the purpose of logging, their responses to forest land conversion, their responses to hunting activities, their understanding of the current condition of endemic Mentawai primates, and what the impact would be if the endemic Mentawai primates disappeared.

Read the Report

Recomendation

Enhancing Awareness and Knowledge: Increase community awareness of the link between environmental sustainability and local well-being, especially regarding the importance of natural resources and wildlife conservation.
Community Engagement: Strengthen community involvement in conservation activities based on local traditions to achieve nature sustainability through a participatory approach.
Mitigating Environmental Threats: Identify key threats like deforestation and wildlife poaching and integrate local knowledge with modern strategies to protect ecosystems.