Case Study in Besitang Watershed, Langkat, North Sumatra, Indonesia

PARTICIPATORY LAND USE ALLOCATION

  Case Study in Besitang Watershed, Langkat, North Sumatra, Indonesia RAHMAWATY TEODORO R. VILLANUEVA MYRNA G. CARANDANG

  

To my beloved family, husband, Ramzi Sastra, son, Rizky Nabil Andhika, and daughter, Rahmi

Nurul Andhini, for all their support and encouragement over the years and understanding especially

during times when it was so difficult to carry on.

  Rahmawaty

  Preface The study contained in this book was conducted to develop a framework for participatory and

improved land use decision-making in Besitang Watershed, Langkat, North Sumatra, Indonesia.

Specifically, it aimed to: assess land use changes, estimate soil erosion under different land uses,

analyze the actual and potential suitability of the lands for several annual, estate and silvicultural

crops, determine the current and potential land use suitability with stakeholder participation, and

develop a spatial participatory land use allocation based on integrated approach to ensure

sustainability. Socio-economic information and physical data were derived from interviews and field

survey. Collective opinion was derived from the workshop with stakeholders. In this book,

Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) were used for land

use allocation. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) was used to determine soil erosion in each

land system. The significant contributions of integrated approach using GIS and AHP in land use

decision-making were: as a tool for facilitating efficient land use allocation and sound policy

formulation, as well as in advancing science-based investigations. This approach is efficient and

reliable in land use allocation for watershed management, since it involves the use of physical

components as well as participation of stakeholders to ensure sustainability of land uses.

  Rahmawaty Department of Forestry, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Sumatera Utara (USU),

  Medan, Indonesia Teodoro R. Villanueva

  College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Myrna G. Carandang

  College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)

  Acknowledgment The authors acknowledge first and foremost Allah SWT, the Almighty God for fulfilling all the

opportunities and challenges in their life. Profound gratitude to a number of institutions and

individuals for the various roles they played that contributed to the successful completion of this book:

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate

Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), for awarding her a Ph.D scholarship program at

UPLB; LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing GmbH & Co. KG Germany; Dr. Arsenio M. Balisacan,

Dr. Editha C. Cedicol, and all of GSD staff, for their administrative support and services; Prof. dr.

Chaeruddin P. Lubis. DTM&H, Sp.A(K), former Rector of University of Sumatera Utara (USU), for

his permission to given the principal author to pursue her Ph.D program at UPLB and for financial

assistance and support for the study; Dr. Renato L. Lapitan, Dr. Nathaniel C. Bantayan, Dr. Antonio J.

Alcantara, for their professional guidance, personal concerns, and intellectual insights; Prof. Ir.

Zulkifli Nasution, MSc., Ph.D., Prof. Dr. Ir. Abdul Rauf, MP., Ir. Ramzi Sastra, MSc., Bejo Slamet,

S.Hut., MSi., Nurdin Sulistyono, S.Hut., MSi., Riswan, S.Hut., Ahmad Sofyan, SE, MSi, for their

valuable advices, comments, and constructive suggestions; Ludmila Caus as Acquisition Editor; The

entire faculty and staff of the CFNR and SESAM of UPLB, for their professional assistance to the

principal author in her major and cognate courses, respectively; Colleagues of USU, all stakeholders,

respondents for their invaluable assistance during data gathering, and all Indonesian friends at UPLB

for their technical help and moral support; other relatives for their love, prayers, kindness, patience,

and understanding especially during the time when it was so difficult for us to carry on. Their co-

operation has made this book possible.

  CONTENTS Preface iii Acknowledgments iv

1 INTRODUCTION

  30

  23

  25

  4.1. Physical Information

  25

  4.2. Physical Characteristics Of The Study Area

  27

  4.2.1. Rainfall and Erosivity Factor

  27

  4.2.2. Soil Types and Soil Erodibility Factor

  29

  4.2.3. Land System and Decision Zone

  4.2.4. Soil Depth

  21

  33

  4.2.5.The Slopes and the Slope Length Factor and Slope Gradient Factor

  34

  4.2.6. The Cropping management factor and erosion control practice factor

  35

  4.3. Collective Opinion Information

  39

  4.4. Geographic Information System (GIS)

  40

  4.5. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)

  45

  3.7. Extension Workers

  3.6. Preferred and Use of the Land

  1

  8

  1.1. Background of the Study

  1

  1.2. Statement of the Problem

  3

  1.3. Objectives of the Study

  4

  1.4. Importance of the Study

  4

  1.5. Conceptual Framework

  5

  1.6. Operational Definition of Terms

  2 DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA

  20

  11

  3 SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STUDY AREA

  15

  3.1.Data Collection for Socio-Economic Information

  15

  3.2. Population of the Besitang Watershed

  16

  3.3. Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents

  17

  3.4. Source of Income of the Respondents in Besitang Watershed

  19

  3.5. Land Holding and Crop Production

4 INTEGRATED APPROACH USING GIS AND AHP

  4.6. Participatory Decision Support System

  51

  5 SOIL EROSION OF DIFFERENT LAND USES

  54

  5.1. Soil Erosion

  54

  5.2. Erosion Rate

  60

  5.3.Soil Erosion Index

  66

  6 LAND USE AND LAND COVER CHANGE

  70

  6.1. Methodology

  70

  6.2. Forest Land Use Change

  70

  6.3. Processes of Land Use Transitions

  78

  7 CLASSIFICATION OF FOREST AND LAND USE

  82

  7.1. Present Land Cover/Land Use In Besitang Watershed

  83

  7.2. The land use and forest classification in Besitang Watershed

  88

  7.3. Land use and land use planning

  92

  7.4. Land Capability Classification

  93

  7.5. Land Suitability Classification

  99

  8 LAND USE ALLOCATION 115

  8.1. Potential Land Use Suitability Classification 116

  8.2. Land Use Allocation in Besitang Watershed 118

  

9 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS 134

  9.1. Summary 134

  9.2. Conclusions 136

  9.3. Recommendations 138

  REFERENCES 139

  APPENDICES 146 189

  INDEX

  

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background of the Study

  Indonesia is located in 5,200-km-long chain of some 17,000 islands straddling the equator in

the heart of Southeast Asia. Its 220 million people live in a land area of about 188 million Has

(ITTO, 2005). Land is becoming scarce so that the more fragile upland areas are looked upon as the

last frontier for the expansion of agriculture and other land uses. As a result, numerous problems have

now been threatening the ecological stability of the uplands (Cruz, 1990). The increasing human

population, the more consequent accelerating demands and intensity of human activities on the land

have various degrees of impact on all of the material and natural resources in the world. Human

population pressures have accelerated the increases of land value and the diversity of land use.

  North Sumatra Province has a land area of 71,680 km² or 3.73% of Indonesia ’s total area with

17 regencies. It is one of the provinces with big forest land and big palm fruit plantations, spread in

several regencies. One of them is the Langkat Regency (626,329 ha) which is located close to Medan

(capital of North Sumatra Province). There are six watersheds in Langkat Regency and one of them is

Besitang Watershed which is the second biggest watershed after the Wampu Watershed. According

to the Ministry of Public Works’ Decree Number 39/PRT/1989 on River Allocation, the rivers in the

North Sumatra Province can be grouped into six River Area Units/Satuan Wilayah Sungai (SWS),

they are SWS Wampu-Besitang, SWS Belawan-Belumai-Ular, SWS Bah Bolon, SWS Asahan, SWS

Barumun Kualuh, and SWS Batang Gadis-Batang Toru. As mentioned in the Decree, Besitang

Watershed is located in SWS Wampu-Besitang.

  The conditions of the watersheds in Indonesia are generally damaged to severely damaged

based on the characterization conducted by the Ministry of Forestry, the Republic of Indonesia in

1999. There are 458 watersheds in critical condition in Indonesia, 60 of which are in Category I,

damaged to severely damaged (16 of them are in Java), 222 watersheds are in Category II, from

moderately to severely damaged and 176 watersheds are potentially damaged (Category III).

Unfortunately, the number of severely damaged watersheds is now increasing and their condition has

worsened due to catastrophe, flood and drought. According to the Ministry of Forestry (2005),

Besitang Watershed is one of Priority II watersheds in Indonesia.

  Several rehabilitation efforts have been done, but there has not been any significant result yet,

while catastrophes have increased every year. For example, in December 2006, there was flood in

some watersheds and one of them was in Besitang Watershed. It indicates that the status of

watersheds in damaged condition in some areas have worsened.

  Besitang Watershed borders on Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) Province, as a result this

area has become a new place for refugees from NAD. Moreover, Gunung Leuser National Park

(TNGL) as a protected area is a magnet for illegal loggers who do not realize the bad effects of their

action. Many trees in upland stream sub-watershed have been cut down. According to the Ministry of

Forestry (2005), in Besitang Watershed, the soil as categorized as sensitive to erosion so that it should

be taken care further, in order to maintain its watershed ecosystem functions.

  At the moment, there is a trend to make use of the land for the economic interests, which could

increase the income. One of the favorite and high-economic-value plants in this area is oil palm.

Another problem in Besitang Watershed that seems to be a major one is land conversion to oil palm

plantation and fish pond in the mangrove forests by the surrounding community have decreased the

size of remaining areas performing ecosystem services.. According to Ekanayake and Dayawansa

(2003), land as resource cannot be measured by the surface area alone; hence the types of soil which is

critical for productivity, underlying geology, topography, hydrology, and plants and animal population

also has to be considered. These attributes limit the extent of land available for various purposes. The

growing population, industrialization and misuse and overexploitation of land resources have in effect

increased the demand for land.

  According to Anderle et al. (1994), rising population pressure coupled with mounting

competition by different types of land users is a major challenge faced by land use planners and

policy-makers. Rational and sustainable land use is an issue concerning both the government and land

users in preserving the land resources for the benefit of present and future generations. Land use

decisions are based on comprehensive and quantified assessment of potential and development

possibilities of the land resources taking into account the biophysical, environmental and socio-

economic factors as well as the space and time dimensions of sustained land use (Antoine et al., 1997).

  In Indonesia, the spatial management plan related to national land areas cited in the spatial

management plan (RTRWN) is based on Republic of Indonesia Law Number 26 (2007) about Spatial

Management. The spatial management plan related to provincial land areas (RTRWP) was derived

from RTRWN. The spatial management plan related to regional land uses (RTRWK) was made using

RTRWP as a reference. Because Besitang Watershed is included in Langkat Regency administrative

area, the spatial management plan for Besitang was also referred to Langkat RTRWK. However,

RTRWK in the area can be considered as efficient and effective. This is because, community

involvement has not been optimized and there is lack of social awareness about this, so that very few

people understand it. In addition RTRWK is sometimes different with the reality in the field.

  Changes in the use of land occurring at various spatial levels and periods can have either

beneficial or detrimental effects. The latter is the main concern of decision-makers because of its

effect on the population and the environment. The goal of managing land use and its change is to

  

develop the land resources in ways that capitalize on the local potential and suitability, avoid negative

impacts and respond to present and future societal demand within the limits of the carrying capacity of

the natural environment (FAO, 1995). Decision support system has been identified as a critical

component to identify and solve problems, provide information and current scientific knowledge in

watershed management decision making process.

  Based on the Besitang Watershed ’s condition, some thoughts on good steps or actions are

needed to overcome these problems. Rehabilitation of watersheds is also needed so that it can support

and enhance other environment functions. At present, researches on land use and land use planning

have been carried out in the area but these have not fully looked into the driving forces of land use as

influenced by development policies. There is a need for an approach that can involve the participation

of stakeholders so that land use management planning can be effectively and efficiently done in

accordance with Republic of Indonesia Law Number 26 (2007) about Spatial Management. The

research about land use allocation with stakeholder participation and collaboration that is crucial for

successful and sustainable watershed management has never been conducted previously in the area.

For this reason, it is essential that research in this area be conducted.

1.2. Statement of the Problem

  Considering that the status of Langkat Regency is autonomy and there are differences

concerning the status of the region, then the government planned to manage the land for various

activities. It is cited in RTRWK. For these activities, based on Republic of Indonesia Law Number 26

(2007) about Spatial Management, participation of the stakeholders from many sectors should be

considered to achieve the maximum result and to minimize the problems about land use allocation in

this area that was probably occurring.

  Considering that Besitang Watershed constitutes one of Priority II watershed (it means that it is

in a moderately to severely damaged class), the change in watershed condition emerged as result of

deforestation in the TNGL area. Moreover, erosion and land conversion to oil palm areas and the

extension of fish farming areas, the areas need special management to maintain the watersheds

ecosystem. Hence, this study aims to develop an approach of land use allocation for the area based on

integrated approach using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process

(AHP). The approach is expected to contribute to the advancement of science and technology in

forestry and environment. Hopefully, the methodology would be useful as an area development

approach to produce goods and services on the basis of sustainability and would contribute to

policymakers in creating guidelines relevant to forestry, environment, and rural development sectors.

  With the foregoing premises, this study sought to dig deeper into the case of the land use

suitability allocation. As mentioned in the previous section, the answers to the following questions

  

have to be found: What is the land use/cover changes in the area? What is the erosion hazard of

different land uses in the watershed? What is the land capability and land suitability in the area? What

is the actual and potential suitability of the lands for several annual crops, estate and silvicultural

plants in the area? What is the current and potential land use suitability in the area? What is the spatial

participatory land use allocation for the area that contributes to sustainability?

  1.3. Objectives of the Study This study generally aimed to develop a framework of participatory and improved land use decision-making in Besitang Watershed, Langkat, North Sumatra, Indonesia.

  Specifically, the study aimed to: 1. assess land use changes in the area; 2. estimate soil erosion under different land uses in the area;

3. analyze the actual and potential suitability of the lands for several annual, estate and silvicultural

crops in the area;

4. determine the current and potential land use suitability in the area with stakeholders; participation;

and

5. develop a spatial participatory land use allocation approach for the area based on integrated

approach to ensure sustainability.

  1.4. Importance of the Study The land use allocation framework would contribute to the development of the area. The

results of the study would inform the stakeholders about the recommended best land use allocation

particularly those of the area and contribute to promoting better understanding of driving forces of

land use change, effects of national policies on agricultural land allocation in Asia, in general and in

Indonesia, in particular. Findings of the study also would facilitate the improvement of the efficiency

in land use of watersheds in Indonesia.

  The methodology would be useful as an area development approach to produce goods and

services on the basis of sustainability and contribute to policymakers in creating guidelines relevant to

forestry, environment, and rural development sectors. The output of the study would also facilitate

policy formulation in a manner that could minimize adverse impacts such as unplanned and

undesirable land use allocation. Furthermore, the study would contribute to the recommendation to

the stakeholders about the best land use allocation. It would also generate the advancement of science

and technology in forestry and environmental resources. Hopefully, this study would provide planners

and decision-makers with a better basis for integrated land use planning, implementation of

management strategies in the process of sustainable rural development.

1.5. Conceptual Framework

  The land is one of the resources that is important to supporting the development in Besitang

Watershed, Langkat, North Sumatra. Consequently, the government should take land use planning in

the area into account. It is realized in the spatial management plan related to regional land areas. As

one of the primary priorities in this area, land should be managed wisely, in the case where sustainable

land management is reached, there are three parameters that are needed, these are: social, economic,

and environment. According to Erskine (1997), sustainability is distinguished based on economics,

ecology, and social perspective. The key to successful economically sound land uses depends on the

efficiency and the wise use of every parcel of land on which the activities are done.

  This study attempts to find out how to achieve the best land use allocation (BLUA) and what

factors influence or affect land use allocation. The concept implies that the best land use allocation is

influenced by integrated components, namely: physical components and public opinion components.

The physical components in this study focused on the physical (environment) factors, which include

land use/cover changes, soil erosion, land classification, land capability and land suitability

classification, and suitable crops in the area. Land use changes were considered as loss (reduction)

and gain (increase) of areas. The loss of area was measured as loss of area from dense area to open

area and both dense and open area to other types of land use, such as: bush, swamp, fish pond, and

paddy field. In contrast, gain in area was measured as an increase in the area due to restoration from

open area to dense area, from bush to open area and from bush to dense area resulting in area

plantation. The public opinion component focused on use of land, preference in land use, expert

perception, and collective opinion (Figure 1).

  According to Bantayan (1996), a spatial decision support system should take into consideration

the three major attributes in land use decision-making, namely: objectives, alternatives, and land units.

Hence, the first stage in the proposed method involves identification of objectives and alternatives. In

this study, the objectives and the alternatives are defined as decision variables. The objectives form

the basis by which alternatives were evaluated. They may contribute to environment and

conservation, education and research, employment, and socio-economic development. The

alternatives, in the context of land use planning, take the form of possible land uses or choice

possibilities which may already exist or may be proposed for the area (Voogd, 1983 cited by

Bantayan, 1996). The key question in land use suitability is how to determine the degree to which the

alternatives contribute to the objectives in each land unit.

  The best land use allocation (BLUA) is expressed in two key processes, namely: physical and

public opinion. The physical process was generated from the physical measures from variables

depending on the approach being incorporated. As mentioned earlier, the physical measures were

derived from land use changes, soil erosion, land classification, land capability classification, and suitable crops in the area. The public opinion process was generated from the form of preference measures of individual or collective opinion. This process requires that individual preferences satisfy a measure of consistency. The results of these two processes were standardized and expressed as priorities. These priorities are related to the degree of suitability of a land unit with regard to the set of alternatives. Then, land allocation achieved from the results of land use suitability. Figure 1 shows the conceptual framework showing the relationship of the components, processes, objectives, and alternatives to realize the best land use allocation in Besitang Watershed, Langkat, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Furthermore, Figure 2 shows the flow diagram activities of the study.

• Field survey
• Interview

• GIS process
• Workshop

  with

  stakeholders

Figure 1.1. Conceptual framework of the study Objectives:

   Environment and conservation  Education and research  Employment  Socio-economic development

  The best land use allocation Alternatives:  Forestry  Agriculture  Settlement  Industry  Fishery

  Physical components:

   Land use change  Soil erosion  Land classification  Land capability and land suitability  Suitable crops

  Public opinion components:  Use of land  Preference in land use  Expert perception  Collective opinion

  Processes:

• AHP process

  Public opinion components:

  CP), then multiplied using GIS spatial analysis  RKLSCP divided by T value  Intersect soil erosion map and soil depth map  Used RTRWK and Decrees of Ministry of Forestry Number 44 (2005)  Field survey and laboratory analysis  Evaluated based on FAO guidelines

  Workshop with stakeholder for AHP

  Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Office Excel

   Interview with key informant/stakeholder and used land use policy in the area  Encoded and processed using the

  Participatory land use allocation

  Potential land use suitability classification

  (FAO, 1976) and Criteria of land capability classification in Indonesia  Evaluated based on matching method that reference and criteria was adopted from the Land Suitability for

  Lanvine Formula  Intersect all individual maps (R , K, LS,

   Use of land (questionnaire data)  Preference in land use

  GIS  Counting rainfall erosivity using

   Interview with key informant/stakeholder  Overlaying maps of different periods using GIS (intersect operation)  Counting the decrease or increase in area was by Microsoft Office Excel  Field survey for determine rainfall station  Creating Thiessen polygon in ArcView

   Land use change (past and current land use, questionnaire data)  Soil erosion, soil erosion index (R, K, LS, CP, T value, soil depth data)  Land classification (land use/forest classification, rainfall, soil, and slope data  Land capability and land suitability (soil analysis, land system, slope, soil depth, K, and soil erosion data)  Suitable crops (soil analysis, slope, soil erosion, and rainfall data

  Physical components:

  (questionnaire data, focus group discussion data)

  (questionnaire data)  Collective opinion

  (questionnaire data)  Expert perception

Figure 1.2. Flow diagram activities of the study

1.6. Operational Definition of Terms

  Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a method that can be used to establish measures in

both the physical and social domains. In using the AHP to model problem, one needs a hierarchic or a

network structure to represent that problem, as well as pairwise comparisons to establish relations

within the structure. In the discrete case these comparisons lead to dominance matrices and in the

continuous case to kernels of Fredholm Operators, from which ratio scales are derived in the form of

principal eigenvectors, or eigenfunctions, as the case may be (Saaty, 1995).

  ArcGIS is an integrated collection of GIS software products for building a complete GIS.

  

ArcGIS enables users to deploy GIS functionality wherever it is needed in desktops, servers, or

custom applications; over the web; or in the field (ESRI, 2007).

  ArcView GIS is a powerful, easy to use tool that brings geographic information to desktop. It

gives our power to visualize, explore, query and analyze data spatially; it is made by Environmental

Systems Research Institute (ESRI), the leading GIS software (ESRI, 2007).

  Attribute data describes the characteristics of the spatial features. These characteristics can be quantitative and/or qualitative in nature. Attribute data is often referred to as tabular data. Current land use classification is a land use based on the spatial management plan related to

regional land areas or regional spatial planning (RTRWK) organized by the local government, in this

case is the regional development planning board of Langkat Regency (BAPPEDA).

  Decision Support System (DSS) is a computerized system for helping make decisions. A

decision is a choice between alternatives based on estimates of the values of those alternatives.

  

Supporting a decision means helping people working alone or in a group gather intelligence, generate

alternatives and make choices.

  Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computer based information system used by

people, which attempts to capture, store, manipulate, analyze and display spatially referenced and

associated tabular attribute data, for solving complex research, planning and management problems. It

is store and analysis spatial data (Godilano, 2001).

  Household is a domestic unit consisting of the members of a family who live together along with non relatives such as servants. It is person or group of people occupying a single dwelling. Integrated approach is an approach that was developed based on integrated information, such

as: physical components (land use/cover change, soil erosion, land classification, land capability, land

suitability, and suitable crops) and public opinion components from the stakeholders (socio-economic,

collective opinion, and land use policy).

  Land is a delineable area of the earth’s terrestrial surface, encompassing all surface climate,

the soil and terrain forms, the surface hydrology (including shallow lakes, rivers, marshes, and

swamps), the near surface sedimentary layers and associated groundwater reserve, the plant and

  

animal population, the human settlement pattern and physical results of past and present human

activity (terracing, water storage or drainage, structures, roads, building) (FAO, 1995).

  Land capability is the inherent capacity of land to perform under a given use. Land capability

classification (LCC) is the description of a landscape unit in terms of its inherent capacity to sustain a

desirable combination of flora and fauna. It is the technical assessment of potential sustainable uses of

landscape units based on inherent characteristics of the land (Villanueva, 2005).

  Land cover represents the natural and artifici al compositions covering the earth’s surface at a

certain location (Avery and Berlin, 1985). It is also defined as attribute of parts of the earth surface

including vegetation, soil, ground water, and topographical features (Manshard, 1998) and also refers

to earth surface condition that reflects the feature land cover and vegetation cover (Ministry of

Forestry, 2006).

  Land suitability is the fitness of a given area for a specific land use (FAO, 1976). The land

may be considered in its present condition or after improvements. Land suitability assessment is a

carried out by matching land use requirements to landscape unit characteristics and measuring the

environmental responses of the landscape to land use management technologies (Villanueva, 2005).

  Land use encompasses several different aspects of man’s relationship to the environment

(Avery and Berlin, 1985). It also refers to the purpose for which land cover is exploited. These uses

can be as varied as agriculture, industry, recreation, or even wildlife conservation (Manshard, 1998).

  Land use allocation is a spatial allocation exercise, the best way to achieve the integrated approach working within the common framework of GIS to provide the solutions. Land use change is a change in the use or management of land by humans, which may lead to

a change in land cover. Land cover and land use change may have an impact on the albedo,

evapotranspiration, sources, and sinks of greenhouse gases, or other properties of the climate system,

and may thus have an impact on climate, locally or globally (Lambin et al., 2003).

  Land use planning is the conscious process of selecting and developing the best course of

action to accomplish the efficient intensive use of the land resources (Hudson, 1981 cited by Oszaer,

1994).

  Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) is a decision support approach developed for complex

problems involving tradeoffs between multiple objectives, where both quantitative and qualitative

aspects of the problem can be addressed (Mendosa et al., 1999).

  Participatory is a process in which the people (stakeholders) are directly involved in the study. Potential land use suitability is a land use suitability resulting from integrated approach as a reference in determining the land use allocation in this study.

  Primary data are data gathered by the on going activity or project. These data may be the

result of field measurements (including sketches) from resource inventories and survey or from

interviews (for example: focused group discussions, workshop, and meeting (Bantayan, 2006).

  Priority is a relative position or degree of value in a graded group or the process of positioning

items such as individuals, groups or businesses on an ordinal scale in relation to others. A list

arranged in this way is said to be in priority order.

  Secondary data are data that already exist in some form and only need to be collected,

organized and encoded into a text editor, spreadsheet or database following some pre-determined

format (Bantayan, 2006).

  Spatial data describe the absolute and relative location of geographic features. Spatial data

use location, within a coordinate system, as its reference base. The most common representation of

spatial information is a map on which the location of any point could be given using latitude and

longitude (Bantayan, 2006).

  Stakeholder is a person with a specific stake, experience or interest in the topic addressed. A

stakeholder can be a government official, research scientist, non government organization (NGO)

member, extension officer or practitioner such as a fisher or a farmer.

  Sustainability refers to the property of system that enables it to continue its functions despite

the presence of major perturbation. It is the ability of a system to maintain or improve the productive

capacity of the land, improve soil fertility, minimize soil erosion, uplift the socioeconomic condition

of the people, and preserve their culture despite the increasing population pressure. This could be

evaluated by considering how long the system and/or practice is expected to be implemented, in

relation to the environmental condition (Conway, 1985).

  

CHAPTER 2

DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA The study was conducted in the Besitang Watershed (Figure 2.1), from March to September

2008. Besitang Watershed has an area of 100,035 ha excluding the islands. In the border of Malaka

Strait in the East, there are islands that have an area of 5,089 ha. Geographically, it is located between

  o o o o

  97 50 ’ 00” to 98 20’ 00” east longitude and 03 45’ 00” to 04 15’ 20” north latitude. It is bordered

by the Province of Nangroe Aceh Darussalam in the North, Sei Lepan Watershed in the South, Malaka

Strait in the East, and the Province of Nangroe Aceh Darussalam in the West (Figure 2.2) . It is

divided by three sub-watersheds, namely: upland stream, middle stream, and lower stream (Ministry of

Forestry, 2005). The area is shown in Table 2.1 and was delineated in Figure 2.2.

  Administratively, Besitang Watershed lies in the Langkat Regency, North Sumatra Province,

Indonesia . It consists of five sub-districts, namely: Besitang, Barandan Barat, Padang Tualang,

Pangkalan Susu, and Sei Lepan (Table 2.2 and Figure 2.3). Each sub-district is divided into several

villages, except in Padang Tualang Sub-district which has no village because of Gunung Leuser

National Park. In Besitang Sub-district, there are 11 villages, namely: Bukit Kubu, Bukit Selamat,

Halaban, Kampung Lama, Pekan Besitang, Salahaji, Sekoci, Serang Jaya, Suka Jaya, Bukit Mas, and

PIR ADB Besitang. In Brandan Barat, there are four villages, namely: Lubuk Kertang, Pangkalan

Batu, Lubuk Kasih, and Sei Tualang. In Pangkalan Susu (Figure 2.4), there are 14 villages, namely:

Alur Cempedak, Beras Basah, Bukit Jengkol, Damar Condong, Limau Mungkur, Pangkalan Siata,

Paya Tampak, Pematang Tengah, Pintu Air, Sei Meran, Sungai Siur, Tanjung Pasir, Perkebunan

Damar Condong, and Perkebunan Perapen. Sei Lepan is one village, namely: Telaga Said (Appendix

Table 1).

Table 2.1. The area of Besitang Sub-watershed SUB-WATERSHED AREA Ha %

  Upland stream 30,815

  30.80 Middle stream 16,722

  16.72 Lower stream 52,497

  52.48 Total 100,035 100.00

Table 2.2. The five sub-districts included in the study area AREA SUB-DISTRICT Ha %

  Besitang 71,213

  71.19 Brandan Barat 1,019

  1.02 Padang Tualang 2,823

  2.82 Pangkalan Susu 24,266

  24.26 Sei Lepan 714

  0.71 Total 100,035 100.00

Figure 2.1. Besitang River in Besitang WatershedFigure 2.2. Map of study area

  Map of Indonesia Besitang Watershed Map

Figure 2.3. Pangkalan Susu Sub-District in Besitang WatershedFigure 2.2. Map of sub-district in Besitang Watershed, Langkat, North Sumatra

  

CHAPTER 3

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STUDY AREA

3.1. Data Collection for Socio-Economic Information

  Socio-economic information were gathered based on primary and secondary data. Primary

data were collected from interviews during field survey (Figure 3.1). The study largely relied on the

use of questionnaire at village and household level. Secondary data were collected from the Regional

Statistical Office which are related to the study, such as: Langkat Regency in Figure (2007), Besitang

in Figure (2007), Brandan Barat in Figure (2007), Padang Tualang in Figure (2007), Pangkalan Susu

in Figure (2007), and Sei Lepan in Figure (2007).