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BAJO ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECTS
Goal
To implement a series of short term research projects aimed at improving understanding of the Sampela fishing community within the Wakatobi Marine Park. This information will be used to develop a long term environmental program with members of the community aimed atl improving the conservation status of the marine park.
Project Titles
1. Community census and village mapping for the Sampela community
2. The role of formal and informal institutions in decision making and its implications for community based conservation
3. Community perceptions of the no-fishing zone on Hoga Island
4. Changing fishing practices amongst the Bajo and its implications for conservation
Methodology
Project 1: Volunteers working in pairs and with a Bajo interpretor visited every household within the Sampela community recording basic information on each household and mapping households in relation to one another. Information recorded included numbers of individuals within each household and their relations to one another, sources of income including fishing techniques employed, type of house within which they live and their participation in national birth control program. In addition households were mapped in relation to one another to provide a visual depiction of the village.
Project 2-4: With the use of Bajo interpretors extensive interviews were conducted to gain responses on a range of different research topics being undertaken by volunteer research students. A minimum of 20 fishers was considered an adequate sample size based largely on the limited time most students had available to conduct fieldwork in Sampela. Efforts were made to interview fishers that represent as broad a cross section of the community as possible which included women, elders, and fishers representing those viewed as both traditional and modernized.
Results & Discussion
Project 1: All information collected by the census has been entered into an excel database and provides an invaluable resource both to current research projects being undertaken and with which to compare follow up census work as a means to monitor change within the community. The village map has been completed to a first draft stage and further work will be required in 2002 to complete a second draft which will also provide a detailed visual depiction of the village.
Project 2: This project identified the need for conservation efforts to recognise the role of traditional informal decision making structures in facilitating conservation ideas within the community. Formal committees and government structures remain a poorly recognised means of communication by much of the Bajo community and only serve to further isolate an elite minority from an illiterate and marginalised majority of fishers.
Project 3: Whilst the no-fishing zone established on Hoga Island in 2000 would appear to have been a success based on the low level of incursions so far reported this project sought to examine more closely reasons for this and underlying community perceptions of the sanctuary zone. Perhaps not surprisingly few fishers actually support the sanctuary zone because of its potential to improve fish stocks in the area. The political leaders support the idea primarily because of compensation being offered by Operation Wallacea, money which has so far been used to build the village mosque and other smaller village development projects. Much of the community however respects the sanctuary zone because of intimidation and the likelihood of village sanctions against them. The project suggests that support for the sanctuary zone as a conservation entity by the community is likely to take many years and that in the short term compensation will continue to be required. It was interesting to note however that there was widespread acknowledgement by fishers that fish stocks within the zone had increased in the short time it had been implemented.
Project 4: Whilst most fishing practices currently practiced by the Bajo are still described as traditional and referred to as such by the marine park in its Management Plan, the reality is that fishing practices have changed dramatically in recent decades. Such changes not only have significance for the way fish stocks are being exploited and the impact upon conservation resources generally within the marine park, but also is important for the way the marine park defines different fishing practices and categorises them as traditional. Increasing fishing efficiency caused by the introduction of better fishing technologies represents one of the most serious conservation issues faced by the marine park. In particular the widespread use of monofilament gill nets and the introduction of cyanide for the live capture of lobster are reason for concern. In contrast the introduction of fish aggregating devices (rompongs) enabling greater access to pelagic fish resources is probably assisting conservation of coral reef resources.
Conclusion
Research projects conducted within
the Sampela fishing community of Wakatobi Marine Park in 2002 have provided a
unique insight into how the community perceives a range of different
environmental issues and how it is ultimately changing over time. Such
information is seen as critical to future efforts that seek to work with this
and other communities in the area in the fields of conservation and marine
resource management. Many of the projects outlined above are proposed for
continuation in 2002 as many questions remain unanswered and that eventually
with detailed information being collected on a specific community it is
envisaged that realistic options for incorporating communities into a
conservation ethic can be arrived at in the future.