#Status of Coral Reefs 2002 - International Coral Reef Action Network

Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2002
MAB
SIBERUT ISLAND, INDONESIA – MAN AND THE BIOSPHERE RESERVE
Siberut Island, lying 130km off the western coast of Sumatra, is the home of
Mentawai indigenous people and an ecosystem with remarkable conservation value.
The Mentawaian chain of islands has been separated from the mainland for around
500,000 years, allowing wildlife to evolve in isolation from that of the rest of Asia. The
result is a high level of endemism, particularly among mammals. Siberut was
declared a Man and Biosphere Reserve in the early 1980s in an attempt to preserve
the region's unique wildlife and human culture.
Despite the island's biological prominence as a Biosphere Reserve, many elements of
the ancient way of life of the Mentawai people have disappeared, due to the activities
of missionaries and government officials, and through logging company
involvement. A large part of the remaining mangrove forest in Siberut is not under
any conservation management and coral reef fish are reported to be over-harvested.
Thus the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve started a new program in 1998 to
empower the indigenous people through participatory rural appraisal, training and
promoting traditional knowledge of the use of natural resources.
Monitoring: A significant amount of both social and biological research occurs in
Siberut, and current projects include research on marine resources along Saibi
Sarabua (proposed as a marine recreation park), ecotourism development, and
investigation of the empowerment of local communities in the sustainable use of
medicinal plants. Coral reefs are indicated as habitats of special interest on the
southern and eastern coasts of the island, but there is little long-term monitoring.
Coral reefs are 30% of the natural resources.
Ecological Monitoring is occasional.
Socio-economic Monitoring is occasional.
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