A sustainable community empowerment model of Giam Siak Kecil - Bukit Batu Biosphere Reserve Area, Riau Province

Abstract

Sustainable development is at the core of the conceptual approach of biosphere reserves, so the objectives of biodiversity conservation must be in line with economic development, cultural enrichment, and the involvement of local communities. Community activities in the Giam Siak Kecil - Bukit Batu (GSKBB) biosphere reserve area have affected its ecosystem changes. The purpose of this study was to develop a model of sustainable community empowerment around the biosphere reserve area. Data collection was done through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, while data analysis was conducted with a qualitative approach. The results showed that the institutional management of community empowerment in buffer villages was still stagnant and not dynamic, so that community empowerment programs from the economic, social, cultural, and political sectors did not develop massively. Factors that hinder the management of community empowerment institutions in buffer villages are limited human resources, transportation facilities and information, the principle of cooperation that begins to fade, and the existence of institutions that are only formalities. The research concluded that the model of innovative collaboration in community empowerment institutional management is a suitable model to be applied in the GSKBB biosphere reserve area.