The Perceived Impact of Customary Marine Resource Management on Household and Community Welfare in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia

Abstract

This article examines the influence of socioeconomic factors on the perceived success of customary management systems in Indonesia. We test the hypothesis that socioeconomic conditions will differ between fishermen who perceive the system has positive impacts on household and community well-being compared to those with negative or neutral perceptions. We found out that a majority of respondents think that this system is beneficial. The socioeconomic conditions that are related to the different perceptions are wealth, local participation in resource management, level of trust, and involvement in community events.

Keywords:

• customary management
• common property
• fisheries
• Indonesia
• social– ecological systems

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Australian Research Council and made possible by field support from the Wildlife Conservation Society. A.S. was supported by an AusAID scholarship to attend James Cook University. Thanks to Sarah Keiluhu and Ifa Hanafi for their helpful comments.

Notes

^a n = 214 respondents.

^b n = 209 respondents.

^cz-statistic unless otherwise noted.

^dt-statistic.

^eχ² statistic.