Salah satu kekayaan sumberdaya hayati Indonesia adalah hutan mangrove. Provinsi Papua memiliki 77,1% dari seluruh luasan hutan mangove di Indonesia. Kota Sorong dan Kabupaten Sorong adalah dua wilayah yang terdapat di provinsi tersebut, yang memiliki hutan mangrove seluas 10.354 km2. Kawasan hutan mangrove di wilayah ini semula dimanfaatkan oleh masyarakat setempat secara subsistem. Selaras dengan perkembangan penduduk dan pembangunan serta perubahan corak ekonomi masyarakat, maka kawasan ini mendapat tekanan yang cenderung semakin meningkat, dengan meningkatnya permintaan terhadap hasil-hasil kawasan hutan mangrove baik berupa kayu maupun non kayu. Namun pengambilan hasil hutan mangrove tersebut menunjukkan tendensi lebih cepat daripada kemampuan regenerasinya. Kondisi ini dalam j angka waktu tertentu, akan menimbulkan dampak negatif yang semakin meluas bagi kawasan ekosistem hutan mangrove setempat.Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui interaksi masyarakat setempat dengan- kawasan hutan mangrove, ketergantungan ekonomi masyarakat setempat dan faktor sosial ekonomi masyarakat sebagai pemicu terhadap pemanfaatan kawasan hutan mangrove. Manfaat yang diharapkan dari hasil penelitian ini adalah sebagai informasi ilmiah dan sebagai bahan pertimbangan pemerintah daerah dalam membuat kebijakan perencanaan pengelolaan lingkungan.Penelitian ini bersifat deskriptif dengan studi kasus. Teknik pengumpulan data menggunakan kuesioner dan wawancara dengan responder sebanyak 60 KK. Penelitian dilaksanakan sejak bulan September-Desember 2003 di Kelurahan Remu Selatan, Kota Sorong dan tiga kampung di Kabupaten Sorong yakni; Kampung Konda, Wersar dan Seyolo. Analisis data yang digunakan adalah tabulasi, uji Chi Square dan koefisien kontingensiHasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa persepsi masyarakat tentang kawasan hutan mangrove 43,33 % menyatakan agak rusak dimana kerusakan tersebut 65,% disebabkan oleh manusia. Hasil tangkapan masyarakat terutama ikan dan kepiting mengalami penurunan. Masyarakat setempat/lokal masih menghormati lingkungan alam karena kehidupannya tergantung pada alam sekitarnya/kawasan hutan mangrove. Interaksi masyarakat lokal dengan kawasan hutan mangrove 50,% tergolong dalam kategori sedang. Faktor sosial ekonomi seperti jumlah tenaga kerja keluarga, pendapatan keluarga, pendidikan formal, dan pasar memiliki nilai hitung lebih tinggi daripada nilai tabel X2. Sedang fait-tor jumlah anggota keluarga dan keari.fan tradisional nilai hitungnya lebih rendah daripada nilai tabel X2.Kesimpulan hasil penelitian adalah; (1) Interaksi masyarakat di Kota Sorong dan Kabupaten Sorong terhadap kawasan hutan mangrove tergolong sedang; (2) Perekonomian masyarakat lokal masih tergantung pada kawasan hutan mangrove yang ada di sekitar tempat tinggalnya; (3) Ketergantungan perekonomian masyarakat lokal yang hidup di sekitar kawasan hutan mangrove terbagi menjadi tiga yakni; (a) ketergantungan terbatas (Kota Sorong); (b) ketergantungan penuh (Kabupaten Sorong); dan (c) tidak mempunyai ketergantungan (Kepulauan Raja Ampat) dan (4) Jumlah tenaga kerja keluarga, pendapatan keluarga, pendidikan formal, dan pasar memiliki dependensi terhadap interaksi masyarakat dengan hutan mangrove. Sedang jumlah anggota keluarga dan kearifan tradisional tidak memiliki dependensi terhadap Interaksi masyarakat dengan kawasan hutan mangrove.

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Interaction of People with Mangrove Forest Areas (Case Study in Sorong Town and Sorong Regency of Papua Province)One of the richness of Indonesia's biological resources are the mangrove forests. Papua Province has 77.1% of all mangrove forest in Indonesia. Sorong Town and Sorong Regency are two areas existing in the said province, having mangrove forests as large as 10,354 km2. Mangrove forests in this area initially were used by the local people for their subsistence. In line with the progress of population and development as well as changes on the economic pattern of the people, this area is incurred with pressure and then tend to increase caused , by the increased on demands for the mangrove forest products such as wood or non-wooden products. Nevertheless the taking of the said mangrove forest products showed a faster tendency beyond the regenerating capability of mangrove. This condition at certain periods of time, will result in the widening the negative impacts to the local mangrove forest ecosystem.

This research aims at a study of the interaction of the local people with the mangrove the forest area. Studied the economic dependency of the local people on the mangrove forests and the social economic factors of the people, as triggerred by the use of mangrove forest areas. The benefits expected from this research is scientific information and as the substance of consideration for the local government in making policies for regional planning and environmental management.

This research is descriptive and uses the case study approach. The data collecting techniques used questionnaires and interviews to 60 KK (head a families).respondents. This research was carried are since the month of September to December 2003 at kelurahan/sub-district of Remu Selatan, the town of Sorong and three villages in the Sorong Regency being: Konda, Wersar and Seyolo. The data analysis studied used tabulations, Chi- square test and contingency coeficient.

The research results show that 44.33 percent of the respondents had perception on mangrove forests, being sufficiently damaged; where of 65.00 percent the said damage was said to be the result of human being using carelessly of the surroundings. The results of people's catch ( especially fish and prawns) is decrease. The local people still respect the natural environment because their lives depend on the natural surrounding mangrove forest area. The interaction of the local people with the mangrove forest area 50.00 percent is categories on medium. The social economic factor such as the number of family workforce, family income, formal education and market, have been calculated valued as higher than the value of table X2. As for the factor on the number of the family members and traditional wisdom, this study calculated the value give by the respondent is lower than the value in the table X2.

The conclusions as a result of the study are; (1) Interaction of the people in town of Sorong and Sorong Regency towards the mangrove forest has to be categorized as medium; (2) Economic the local people depend on the mangrove forest area existing around their homes; (3) The economic dependency of the local people living around the mangrove forests is divided into three categories being; (a) limited dependency (town of Sorong); (b) full dependency (Sorong Regency); and (c) not at all dependent (Raja Ampat/Four Kings Islands); (4) The number of a family workforce, family income, formal education and market influence the interaction of people with their mangrove forests. As for the number of family members and traditional wisdom there seems to be no influence on the interaction of people with mangrove forest areas.