Our community mangroves have been destroyed to make way for the development of shrimp
pond farming.
For us, the main challenge after encroachment is the impairment of the
mangrove ecosystem, and the decline in catch and income because our
areas for collection of resources is very limited by the destruction of
mangrove areas. Villagers are also facing restrictions on our access to
resources because we are prohibited from entering our customary territories
and this has contributed to our poverty.
Our rights as Indigenous people towards our customary territories has been
denied. We were not included in all the plans and our opinions were not
taken into account in all decision-making processes. This has caused our
traditional knowledge and way of life that is closely related to the mangroves
to be threatened and faced with the possibility of disappearing in the future.
In addition, we also face the challenge of leadership where our leaders are
appointed instead of being chosen by us through consensus. The appointed
17 | S u n g a i E l o i T o m b o n u o C o m m u n i t y P r o t o c o l