Head of Kampar District accepting recommendations from the customary elders on the sustainable management of Lubuk Larangan © FAO

Fifty-five signatures were inked on a letter of recommendation for the sustainable management of Lubuk Larangan on 3rd August 2022 in Pekanbaru, Riau Province. The signatories were Ninik Mamak—a customary elders in Kampar District—and village government representatives from areas with Lubuk Larangan in Kampar.

They signed the recommendation after going through a focus group discussion “Management of Aquatic Conservation Areas Based on Local Wisdom Perspectives and Principles in Lubuk Larangan” facilitated by the FAO-IFish Project.

Lubuk Larangan is a time-bound fishing prohibition in some part of river—or other body of waters—which is regulated based on the policies of the Ninik Mamak with the village chiefs and religious leaders. The selected part of the river will be marked and closed for fishing for a certain time. Some Ninik Mamak attending the FGD said that the Lubuk Larangan area can only be fished once a year, during mencokau or harvest time for one to three days. Outside of this period, violators will be subject to customary sanctions.

Heated discussions occurred during the talk on catch sizes, the application of fishing bans outside Lubuk Larangan, best management practices, and threats. Differences arise because each location had rules based on type and abundance of fishes. The heated debate was successfully bridged by the facilitators, with the Ninik Mamak agreed on a twelve-points recommendation for sustainable management at the end of the FGD.

Recommendations given underscore the role of Lubuk Larangan from ecological, social, economic, cultural, and customary aspects. From an ecological perspective it was agreed that: the core zone would be designated as a fish bank, juveniles and spawning fish should not be caught at harvest, and the fishing gear used should be environmentally friendly. Not only regulating the area inside Lubuk Larangan, but the recommendations also regulate fishing outside of the prohibited area. Fishery activities that can be carried out there are only to fulfill household needs by the community and local small-scale fishing groups.

The twelve points of recommendation were then read out at the customary meeting on August 4, 2022, at the Kampar Customary Hall. In the presence of representatives from FAO, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, and other parties; the head of the Kampar Customary Institution gave a letter of recommendation to the Kampar Regent to encourage the district government to issue regulations related to the sustainable management of Lubuk Larangan. In addition, he also appreciated FAO's efforts to embrace the Ninik Mamak and traditional stakeholders in Kampar in improving the management of Lubuk Larangan.

This joint effort was also responded positively by the Head of BRSDM-KP, I Nyoman Radiarta in his speech. He appreciated the implementation of the FGD which listened to the diverse perspectives of Ninik Mamak and ended with agreement on recommendations for the sustainable management of Lubuk Larangan.

At the end of the customary meeting, FAO Representative for Indonesia, Rajendra Aryal, expressed his admiration for the concept of Lubuk Larangan as an example of local wisdom in responsible inland water management. He said Lubuk Larangan needs to be known by the outside world, that in Kampar the community has traditionally regulated capture fisheries in order to meet their long-term nutritional needs and livelihoods.