Changing land use patterns threaten the livelihood of female crab collectors in Merauke, Papua, Indonesia. Over the years, crab collection in mangrove and wetland forests has been a major source of income for women of the indigenous Asmat and Mappi communities of the island of Papua in Indonesia. These women harvest crab along the coastal areas of the Maro River, the main river of Merauke District, which is located in the southern part of Papua in the land of the Marind peoples. The Marind form a majority group and hold traditional claim of ownership over the land in Merauke, including the banks of Maro River. Apart from the Marind, other ethnic groups such as Bovendigul, Mappi and Asmat also live in the area and have ha anim rights to access resources for subsistence living. Ha anim rights accrue from a collective agreement among certain indigenous communities, granting them entitlement over resources from mangrove and wetland forests along the river, allowing for hunting, gathering of food and medicinal plants, and the collection of fibres and other materials for crafts such as noken or traditional bag weaving. Outsiders and even other ethnic communities residing in the area, such as the fishers of Sulawesi descent or North Papuans living in Merauki, require explicit consent from the customary land owners, and, in addition, must pay a mutually agreed sum in order to utilise these resources.